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The Lyre of Orpheus – April 25, 1999 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Music in the life and work of Canadian novelist, Robertson Davies

date: April 25, 1999

This programme celebrated the life and work, in particular light of the music he loved, of the great Canadian writer, Robertson Davies, who had died a few years previously.  He was an enthusiastic amateur musician and the theme of music recurs frequently in his writings.  The programme received a lot of help from a number of friends in Canada and Britain, and particularly from the Davies family  –  indeed, we were honoured that one of the novelist’s daughters, Miranda, consented to appear and sing in our concert.  A centrepiece was the premiere of a set of variations for two pianos 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 of his wife, Brenda; furthermore, Bruce Ubukata was much involved in musical performances at Massey College (in the University of Toronto) while Davies was Master.

Song Artist Composer Poet
The lark in the clear air Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Irish folksong, arr. Tate, Phyllis Ferguson, Samuel
Let’s all go down the Strand Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Castling, Harry / Murphy, C.W. anon.
I met him in the far away (Leo, the Royal Cadet) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Telgmann, Oscar Cameron, George Frederick
Der Doppelgänger, D957/13 Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Schubert, Franz Heine, Heinrich, trans. Todhunter, John
When I was one-and-twenty (A Shropshire Lad) Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Somervell, Sir Arthur Housman, Alfred Edward
Into my heart an air that kills (A Shropshire Lad) Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Somervell, Sir Arthur Housman, Alfred Edward
Hiraeth Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Welsh folksong, arr. Jenkins, David Hughes, Ceiriog
The bayly berith the bell away Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter anon.
Pretty Ring Time Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Warlock, Peter Shakespeare, William
Water parted from the sea (Artaxerxes) Robbin, Catherine, 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! Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Tosti, Sir Paolo Whyte-Melville, George John
INTERMISSION
Shepherd, leave decoying (King Arthur) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Robbin, Catherine mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin Dryden, John
Tell me, lovely shepherd (Solomon) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano Boyce, William Moore, Edward
Twilight Fancies Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Delius, Frederick Björnson, Björnsterne trans. Copeland, F.S.
Lift thine eyes (Elijah, Op.70) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Davies, Miranda, soprano; Robbin, Catherine, mezzo Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix Psalm 121
Overture: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op.21 Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix n/a
The Nightmare Song (Iolanthe) Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano Sullivan, Sir Arthur Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck
Never weatherbeaten sail Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Robbin, Catherine mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Campian, Thomas Campian, Thomas
Bei Männern (Die Zauberflöte, K620) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Schikaneder, Emanuel
Finale (Sir John in Love) Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Vaughan Williams, Ralph Campian, Thomas
Let’s all go down the Strand – ENCORE Fallis, Mary Lou, soprano; Robbin, Catherine, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano Castling, Harry / Murphy, C.W. anon.