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The Lyre of Orpheus – October 21, 2012 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Music in the life and work of Canadian novelist, Robertson Davies

Date: October 21, 2012

This performance was an early celebration, by a few months, of the centenary of Robertson Davies, one of Canada’s major 20th century novelists.  He was an enthusiastic amateur musician and the theme of music recurs frequently in his writings.  First presented in 1999, the programme received much help from the Davies family, as well as from other friends in Canada and Britain.  A centrepiece was the set of variations for two pianos (premiered in 1999) by Derek Holman on Arne’s “Water parted from the sea”, a song which was much loved by Davies and which figures prominently in his novel A Mixture of Frailties, as does Tosti’s “Goodbye!”  The Artistic Directors were good friends of Davies and his wife; furthermore, Bruce Ubukata was much involved in musical performance at Massey College (in the University of Toronto) while Davies was Master.

SONG ARTIST COMPOSER POET
The lark in the clear air McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Irish folksong, arr. Tate, Phyllis Ferguson, Samuel
Let’s all go down the Strand Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Castling, Harry / Murphy, C.W. anon.
I met him in the far away (Leo, the Royal Cadet) Khalil, Miriam, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Telgmann, Oscar Cameron, George Frederick
Der Doppelgänger, D957/13 Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Schubert, Franz Heine, Heinrich, trans. Todhunter, John
When I was one-and-twenty (A Shropshire Lad) Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Somervell, Sir Arthur Housman, Alfred Edward
Into my heart an air that kills (A Shropshire Lad) Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Somervell, Sir Arthur Housman, Alfred Edward
Hiraeth Khalil, Miriam, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Welsh folksong, arr. Jenkins, David Hughes, Ceiriog
The bayly berith the bell away McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter anon.
Pretty Ring Time McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter Shakespeare, William
Water parted from the sea (Artaxerxes) McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Arne, Thomas anon., after Metastasio, Pietro
Variations on a Melody by Doctor Arne Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, 2 pianos Holman, Derek n/a
Goodbye! Khalil, Miriam, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Tosti, Sir Paolo Whyte-Melville, George John
INTERMISSION
Shepherd, leave decoying (King Arthur) Khalil, Miriam, soprano; McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin Dryden, John
Tell me, lovely shepherd (Solomon) Khalil, Miriam, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Boyce, William Moore, Edward
Twilight Fancies McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Delius, Frederick Björnson, Björnsterne trans. Copeland, F.S.
Overture (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix n/a
The Nightmare Song (Iolanthe) Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Sullivan, Sir Arthur Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck
Never weatherbeaten sail Khalil, Miriam, soprano; McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Campian, Thomas Campian, Thomas
Bei Männern (Die Zauberflöte, K620) Khalil, Miriam, soprano; Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Schikaneder, Emanuel
Finale (Sir John in Love) Khalil, Miriam, soprano; McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Vaughan Williams, Ralph Campian, Thomas
Let’s all go down the Strand – ENCORE Khalil, Miriam, soprano; McHardy, Allyson, mezzo; Sirett, Geoffrey, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Castling, Harry / Murphy, C.W. anon.