Par CATTLEY SARAH. Written for baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Susie Allan to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams, the five Frances Cornford settings of A Square and Candle-Lighted Boat further enhance Sarah Cattley’s reputation as an exciting young composer acutely sensitive to the nuances of English poetry. In addition to familiar sources ranging from ‘anon’ to George Mackay Brown, she has found inspiration in the work of women writers including Charlotte Brontë, Fredegond Shove, Moyra Tourlamain and Ursula Vaughan Williams. The finely tuned voice of Cambridge poet Frances Cornford (1886–1960) appealed especially for the touching immediacy of its insights, its probing of emotions from a woman’s viewpoint, and its wide human sympathy. In creative antithesis to the Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel, for which it is intended as a companion piece, a love of home is the theme of the cycle, its domestic interiors and country views illuminated in the warm tones and vivid portrayals of Cattley’s music. Performances at Thaxted and Paxton preceded a London premiere on 12 October 2022, marking the occasion of Vaughan Williams’s birth 150 years ago to the day. / Date parution : 2023-03-11/ Répertoire / Baryton et Piano

Par RECHBERGER HERMAN. Herman Rechberger (1947?2022) composed the song cycle Seven Cat Songs between Christmas eve 2007 and the 4th of January 2008. They were inspired by his ?lovely hairy companions Tosca and Carmen?. The songs exist in two versions, one for soprano (...a SHE cat) and one for baritone (...a He Cat). Have a look inside by clicking ?sample?. Duration: c. 20 minutes Contents: I A cat's self portrait (Herman Rechberger) II Cats can sleep anywhere (Eleanor Farjeon) III A cat's memory (Jane Webb) IV A cat's evening prayer (anon.) V A song about two cats (anon.) VI A black-cat luck (anon.) VII All kinds of cats (BJ Boskitt) / Date parution : 2022-05-31/ Recueil / Baryton et Piano