Aidan has called this programme “A Young Man’s Exhaustion” – a neat play on Exhortation, and no wonder. He is about to run the London Marathon, though I am assured any chances of falling in the lake at Glyndebourne while training, are remote!
I had not heard Aidan in a whole recital of his own before. All singing voices are individual, but some more so than others, and, once you’ve heard him, you could never mistake Aidan’s for anyone else. It was an all-English programme, except for the encore which I will come to later! He started with a group of classics of the English song genre, two of which I’ve heard before, and I think could rightly be called part of his party pieces – “Silent Noon” and “Linden Lea”. I am sure they will form part of the musical fabric of his career.
We then moved to the two major pieces of the programme, both using poems by
Thomas Hardy. As the last experience of what the Italians would call ‘The Undersigned’, of Thomas Hardy was “The Trumpet Major” in Sixth form, you can see a fair bit of time has elapsed and a bit of thinking was required!
It is fortunate for tenors that Britten’s life partner was one, and that he wrote almost exclusively for him, except in opera – and then he’d give him the lead. I cannot think of any other composer who has done this. Even Richard Strauss, who adored the soprano voice, and married one, didn’t expect, or intend, her to sing all the roles.
It seems, from a little research, that Britten meant “Winter Words” to be a sort of British “Winterreise”, on the perfectly true grounds that he played the Schubert quite often, and brilliantly. Aidan said what a difficult technical challenge it is, but he surmounted the tests with remarkable aplomb. I particularly liked “Midnight on the Great Western” with its pounding train accompaniment, very well played by Ceri Owen, and it made me wonder whether Schubert’s traveller would have been on a train if they had been more widespread at the time. Aidan is himself a very competent pianist and it must help him when learning his repertoire. He’s not afraid to let go, or hold back, as this music requires, and he can do both.
Throughout Ceri Owen, elegant in black, gave equally elegant support at the piano, assisted on her way by the Official Page-Turner, Nicholas Mogg!
Some more research suggested people to think Gerald Finzi’s “ A Young Man’s Exhortation” was influenced by Schubert too, but I think both cycles have a very English sensibility, and indeed scene-setting. This set of songs was also specifically written for tenor. Aidan produced several really operatic top notes during the songs, but in the right places. I have to confess I’ve never heard the cycle before.
He finished with two sure-fire successes – “The Ash Grove” and “O Waly, Waly” which is one of the first things I ever heard him sing. But that wasn’t quite the end. He told us that someone (yes, you guessed who!) would send him to an early grave if he didn’t sing something in Italian. And he launched into a classic example of a 19th century Italian song called “Ideale”. This is not something British tenors often do – a lot would not really be suitable – but Aidan can – and did.
Before I go, I thought it would be good to mention an event in our music team which, as far as I know, is a first. Busy singers can work together for years without getting a joint job outside the church, but tonight (28th March) the mighty Monteverdi Vespers, my favourite piece of church music, will echo round Ely cathedral. And so will Aidan Coburn, tenor and Nicholas Mogg, Baritone. And so they should!
Aidan Coburn’s Recital in aid of the NSPCC
Suzanne Pinkerton