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Come into the Parlour, Maud – January 27, 1985 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Come into the Parlour, Maud – January 27, 1985 | Walter Hall, Toronto
English song in the Victoria era
date: January 27, 1985
The concert opened our first Sunday Series in Walter Hall, University of Toronto. It initiated three “English Afternoons” which, between them, presented English songs from early Victorian times through to the Second World War. This programme included a number of popular favourites, but also some genuine examples of artsong. A section after the intermission depicted life at Buckingham Palace and a visit to the Queen and Prince Albert by Mendelssohn. Songs from the later 19th century by Stanford, Somervell and Elgar then led to our conclusion: Vaughan Williams’s “Linden Lea”, written in the year of Queen Victoria’s death. Alongside two accomplished Canadian singers, we were proud to present our friend, the distinguished Welsh baritone, Stephen Roberts.
| Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
|---|---|---|---|
| O that we two were maying | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Smith, Alice Mary | Kingsley, Charles |
| To Anthea, who may command him anything | Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hatton, John Liptrott | Herrick, Robert |
| Indian Love, Op.35/1 | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; Uubukata, Bruce, piano | Bennett, Sir William Sterndale | Cornwall, Barry |
| I heard a brooklet gushing | McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Loder, Edward James | Müller, Wilhelm, trans. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth |
| Spanish Dance, Op.12/3 | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Moszkowski, Moritz | n/a |
| The Wreck of the Hesperus | Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Hatton, John Liptrott | Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth |
| Orpheus with his lute | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; Uubukata, Bruce, piano | Sullivan, Sir Arthur | Shakespeare, William |
| Come into the garden, Maud | McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Balfe, Michael | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
| Excelsior! | McLean, James, tenor; Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Balfe, Michael | Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth |
| Overture: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op.21 | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix | n/a |
| Italien, Op.8/3 | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; Uubukata, Bruce, piano | Mendelssohn, Fanny | Grillparzer, Franz |
| Der Ungeliebte | McLean, James, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Albert, Prince Consort | Rückert, Friedrich |
| The moon has raised her lamp above (The Lily of Killarney) | McLean, James, tenor; Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Benedict, Sir Julius | Oxenford, John |
| La Belle Dame sans Merci | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; Uubukata, Bruce, piano | Stanford, Sir Charles Villiers | Keats, John |
| The Day-Dream: The Departure (Songbook of 1879) | McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Scharwenka, Xaver | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
| Go not, happy day (Cycle of Songs from Tennyson’s Maud) | Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Somervell, Sir Arthur | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
| I have led her home (Cycle of Songs from Tennyson’s Maud) | Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Somervell, Sir Arthur | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
| Come into the garden, Maud (Cycle of Songs from Tennyson’s Maud) | Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Somervell, Sir Arthur | Tennyson, Alfred, Lord |
| Come, gentle night | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; Uubukata, Bruce, piano | Elgar, Sir Edward | Bingham, Graham Clifton |
| Linden Lea | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; McLean, James, tenor; Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Barnes, William |
| Excelsior! (reprise) – ENCORE | Swanston, Marcia, mezzo; McLean, James, tenor; Roberts, Stephen, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Balfe, Michael | Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth |