Phillip Bell, Tenor, Lee Ward, Piano
We had some new experiences at the Martindale Sidwell memorial recital. First, we had a tenor, having mostly had lower voices, and then we had our Director of Music taking a break from the day job, and appearing as a recital accompanist. If this was a recital of popular music, it couldn’t have been better chosen. And I mean that in the best possible taste!
What would be more redolent of Vienna just before its glories declined, than the music of Franz Lehar? Can’t you almost hear the clopping of the Fiaker-horses, smell the coffee in Demel’s where the smart set went, and hear the rustle of the ladies’ skirts on the staircase at the Stantsoper? Known to Anglophones as “You are my heart’s delight” it was a party piece of the great tenor Richard Tauber. Phillip established a nicely intimate approach and an appreciation of Viennese operetta, with a very pleasing top note at the end.
We then moved on to “On Wenlock Edge”. Ralph Vaughan-Williams, and A.E. Housman, of course, were notable for depicting the rain-washed colours of the English countryside. Of the various composers of this school, I think Vaughan-Williams did it best – his Lark Ascended!
The cycle suited Phillip’s classic English tenor, and Lee stepped forward with strong support in the first song. “Is my team ploughing?” is one of Housman’s best-known poems, and in this song Phillip very sensibly avoided the Tenor’s Temptation to over-do the loud bits! He conveyed the wistful note which often creeps into these songs, notably with his soft top note in the verse about the wedding which tragically never happened in “Bredon Hill”.
Too often Tchaikovsky is thought of for his admittedly glorious ballet music, as far as the theatre is concerned. But here, in “Eugene Onegin” he produces one of the most beautiful tenor arias in Russian Opera [where, and good for them, the basses get such wonderful opportunities!] He could not have a better ‘librettist’ than Pushkin, and we can imagine Lensky, trapped by the Code of Honour, knowing he’ll probably lose his friend, break his fiancé’s heart, and lose his own life, which indeed happens. He could be a bit of a cypher compared to Onegin, the dominating character, but here he jumps off the page, as it were. Phillip showed off some lyrical lines and his diminuendos were particularly effective. It is not a long aria, but he made his point.
Schubert is one of my heroes. It is almost unbelievable that he poured out hundreds of songs in not much more than fifteen years. Some are greater than others but I don’t think he ever produced a dud. What was so lovable about him was that he was so have-a-go. If you turned up to one of the Schubertiads, or musical parties, you could try the songs, and having had personal experience of all but one of this group, I can imagine what a thrill it must have been to have him play for you. He did write some of his songs for Johann Michael Vogl, a much older court singer, who did his best to spread the word.
This group also demonstrated what a variety of poems Schubert set. We began with the German version of “Who is Sylvia?” by Shakespeare no less, from “the Two Gentlemen of Verona.” This song works particularly well with a tenor, and Lee, who came to the fore in this group, and Phillip, skipped lightly and gracefully through its three verses.
Next came “Die Forelle”, one of Schubert’s most famous songs, which pops up again in the Trout Quintet. Lee and Phillip achieved a good deal of sparkle, showing the babbling of the brook, and the misfortune of the trout.
This was followed by “An die Musik”. This is not only famously famous, but interesting from several points of view. Schubert was a most loyal friend, and his favourite friend was Franz von Schober – they used to call themselves “Schobert”, like a double act. Sadly Schober was Schubert’s Dark Angel, who encouraged his taste for a bit of low life, which contributed to his tragically early death. This is no great poem, but how Schubert transforms the rather routine words! Lee gave a stylish performance here and was a great support to Phillip.
“Standchen” is a gift for a male singer! It is perhaps the most seductive love song Schubert ever wrote, and as tenors are expected to be good at love songs, this went well!
And then the blockbuster. “Erlkönig” by the great Goethe himself, is one of the most celebrated Gothic horror poems. The stormy night, the pounding of the horse’s hooves, the frightened child, the father trying to reassure him, and best, or worst, of all, the Erlkönig himself, beautiful but creepy, like an Arthur Rackham illustration, coaxing, coaxing – and then turning vicious. Phillip achieved an excellent snarl, when he resorted to force. When the child turns out to be dead at the end, he caught the horror. In fact, it is probably easier for a higher voice to impersonate the child when he pleads with his father. Lee, meanwhile, was doing a sterling job with one of the most difficult of all Lieder accompaniments.
Back to the Opera House. What’s wrong with tunes? Verdi could grab a tune by the scruff of its neck and it’s no wonder they were played on barrel organs. Here, we joined the story of “La Traviata” just after the positively karaoke Drinking Song in Act 1 and Violetta’s fireworks. This is the act where the quiet country life of Alfredo and Violetta can get just a little too quiet! Not quite like Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, who waits as long as for a London bus on a Sunday, but a good aria doesn’t come amiss. And here we are. Phillip is about to perform the role, and this was, in a lot of ways, his success of the night!
So what could he do but a Neapolitan song to send us off humming? Come back to Sorrento, gentlemen!