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The Great Song Marathon: Evening Session | Walter Hall, Toronto
The third and final part of an all-day celebration of the artsong

date: January 19, 2002

Our 20th anniversary celebrations consisted of a celebrity recital, a gala afternoon  –  and this marathon.  In the course of one day, we presented 23 singers, ranging from some of Canada’s leading international stars to young performers just emerging from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, many of them graduates of our Young Artists Recitals.  In all, they performed 81 songs.  Our choices were, necessarily, personal; but we also sought to give a hearing to all of the major periods and schools of artsong writing for voice and piano, including genuine, undisputed masterpieces from each.  The three sessions focussed on the three different times of day.  Beginning at 7:30 pm, we included songs of the evening and of winter, and also songs involving measured reflection, either rueful or fulfilled, at love’s conclusion. The programme book quoted a line of warning from Schumann’s Eichendorff-Liederkreis:  “Sei wach und munter!”  Two songs of expectation of the morrow, by Richard Strauss and Ernest Seitz, concluded our marathon.

Song Artist Composer Poet
An die Nacht, Op.68/1 (Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Clemens Brentano) MacDonald, Lorna, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Strauss, Richard Brentano, Clemens von
Ich wollt ein Sträusslein binden, Op.68/2 (Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Clemens Brentano) MacDonald, Lorna, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Strauss, Richard Brentano, Clemens von
Säusle, liebe Myrthe, Op.68/3 (Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Clemens Brentano) MacDonald, Lorna, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Strauss, Richard Brentano, Clemens von
La Flûte de Pan (Chansons de Bilitis) Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Debussy, Claude Louÿs, Pierre
La Chevelure (Chansons de Bilitis) Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Debussy, Claude Louÿs, Pierre
Le Tombeau des Naïades (Chansons de Bilitis) Burgess, Norine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Debussy, Claude Louÿs, Pierre
Waldesgespräch, Op.39/3 (Eichendorff-Liederkreis) Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Schumann, Robert Eichendorff, Joseph Freiherr von
Zwielicht, Op.39/10 (Eichendorff-Liederkreis) Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Schumann, Robert Eichendorff, Joseph Freiherr von
Frühlingsnacht, Op.39/12 (Eichendorff-Liederkreis) Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Schumann, Robert Eichendorff, Joseph Freiherr von
Wie bin ich froh, Op.25/1 (Drei Lieder nach Hildegard Jone) Anderson, Valdine, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Webern, Anton Jone, Hildegard
Des Herzens Purpurvogel, Op.25/2 (Drei Lieder nach Hildegard Jone) Anderson, Valdine, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Webern, Anton Jone, Hildegard
Sterne, Ihr silbernen Bienen, Op.25/3 (Drei Lieder nach Hildegard Jone) Anderson, Valdine, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Webern, Anton Jone, Hildegard
Lullaby Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter Dekker, Thomas
Sleep Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter Fletcher, John
The Fox Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter Blunt, Bruce
Yarmouth Fair Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Norfolk folksong, arr. Warlock, Peter Collins, Hal
INTERMISSION
Sonetto XXX, Op.22/3 (Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo) Ainsworth, Colin, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano Britten, Benjamin Michelangelo Buonarotti
Sonetto XXXVIII, Op.22/5 (Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo) Ainsworth, Colin, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano Britten, Benjamin Michelangelo Buonarotti
Sonetto XXXII, Op.22/6 (Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo) Ainsworth, Colin, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano Britten, Benjamin Michelangelo Buonarotti
Sonetto XXIV, Op.22/7 (Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo) Ainsworth, Colin, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano Britten, Benjamin Michelangelo Buonarotti
I’ve been to a marvellous party (Set to Music) Ubukata, Bruce, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Coward, Noël Coward, Noël
A Man and his Flute (A Toronto Songbook) Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Beckwith, John Waddington, Miriam
My lute, awake! Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Russell, Welford Wyatt, Sir Thomas
Abschied (Mörike-Lieder) Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Wolf, Hugo Mörike, Eduard
Morgen! Op.27/4 Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Strauss, Richard Mackay, John Henry
The World is Waiting for the Sunrise   – ENCORE Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; The Company; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Seitz, Ernest Lockhart, Eugene