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date: November 18, 1988
This programme was requested by the St. George’s Society of Toronto. We took songs sung by those on the sea (sailors, passengers, pirates, mermaids and others) and also by those viewing the sea from on shore – on the French coast, in an Italian bar, on the Hebridean islands. At the suggestion of the Society, the first half ended with a taste of “end of the pier” entertainment: songs from some of the most popular English and American shows of the early 20th century. Some suitable poetic extracts separated the musical numbers. A shortened preview of the concert was presented the previous day at the North York Central Library.
Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
---|---|---|---|
Sea Fever | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Ireland, John | Masefield, John |
The Mermaid’s Song | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Haydn, Franz Joseph | Hunter, Anne |
Oh, better far to live and die (The Pirates of Penzance) | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Sullivan, Sir Arthur | Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck |
Sabbath Morning at Sea, Op.37/3 (Sea Pictures) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Elgar, Sir Edward Elgar | Browning, Elizabeth Barrett |
Vaisseaux, nous vous aurons aimés, Op.118/4 (L’Horizon chimérique) | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Fauré, Gabriel | La Ville de Mirmont, Jean de |
La Cathédrale engloutie (Préludes I) | Ralls, Stephen, piano | Debussy, Claude | n/a |
De grève (Proses lyriques) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Debussy, Claude | Debussy, Claude |
A bar on the Piccola Marina | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Coward, Sir Noël | Coward, Sir Noël |
The Dream Melody – Intermezzo (Naughty Marietta) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Herbert, Victor | n/a |
Only a rose (The Vagabond King) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Friml, Rudolf | Hooker, Brian |
On the road to Mandalay | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Speaks, Oley | Kipling, Rudyard |
Let’s do it (Paris) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Porter, Cole | Porter, Cole |
Ah! sweet mystery of life (Naughty Marietta) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Herbert, Victor | Young, Rida Johnson |
Overture: Die Hebriden (Fingalshöhle), Op.26 | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix | n/a |
An Eriskay Love-Lilt (Songs of the Hebrides) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hebridean folksong, arr. Kennedy-Fraser, Marjory | anon. |
The Floral Dance | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Moss, Katie | Moss, Katie |
Sail on, sail on | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Irish folksong, arr. Britten, Benjamin | Moore, Thomas |
Drake’s Drum, Op.91/1 (Songs of the Sea) | Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Stanford, Sir Charles Villiers | Newbolt, Sir Henry |
Matelot (Sigh No More) | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Coward, Sir Noël | Coward, Sir Noël |
The Mermaid | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | English folksong, arr. Vignoles, Roger | anon. |
I do like to be beside the seaside – ENCORE | Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Wilson, Mark, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Glover-Kind, John A. | Glover-Kind, John A. |