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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive debut recital, 15 Jun 2002
By A Customer
Jonathan Lemalu is a New-Zealander of Samoan ancestry who is only 26 (still early for the bass-baritone voice). This recital was recorded in January 2002 for BBC Radio 3 and covers a wide range of both baritone and bass repertoire. The accompanist (no expense spared) is Roger Vignoles who needless to say is sensitive and faultless.The recital starts very ambitiously with tackling Brahms four "serious songs" taken from the Luther Bible and largely about death. This is of course territory firmly staked out by Hans Hotter and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and personally I can't help feeling Lemalu's voice is too young to give these songs the depth demanded. However the rest of the recital is much better suited to a new voice, and are better programmed - around a nautical theme. 4 Schubert songs about ships and travel are followed by Faure's setting of Merimot's sea poem "illusory horizon", and then passing over two Hardy settings by Finzi without any discernable nautical elements, we come to a traditional sea-shanty set by Vignoles, and two poems by Masefield - Ireland's "Sea Fever", Keel's "Trade Winds". The concluding piece is a real rarity - "The Estuary" by Michael Head 1900-1976. According to Roger Wigmore's notes in the booklet this is a setting of a poem by Ruth Pitter - not a poet I was familiar with, and it turned out that "The Estuary" was not one of the song texts of Michael Head archived on the Libretto Home Page. (Eventually, by searching on Google, I was able to locate a copy of this Ruth Pitter poem on a Kenyan exam board past paper of all places!). This then is the place to mention a frequent niggle with EMI - the tendancy to cut texts at any opportunity. You'd have thought that after EMI had to reissue the Danil Shtoda recital in this same series with Russian texts, they would not repeat the same mistake with the next new voice? Wrong. (Hence 3 stars not 4 for this disc). Anyway, here is one of the more unusual settings on this disc: (13) FINZI - ROLLICUM-RORUM (by Thomas Hardy) When Lawyers strive to heal a breach And Parsons practise what they preach: Then Boney he'll come pouncing down, And march his men on London town! Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lorum, Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lay! When Justices hold equal scales, And Rogues are only found in jails; Then Boney he'll come pouncing down, And march his men on London town! Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lorum, Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lay! When Rich Men find their wealth a curse, And fill therewith the Poor Man's purse; Then Boney he'll come pouncing down, And march his men on London town! Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lorum, Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lay! When Husbands with their Wives agree, And Maids won't wed from modesty; Then Boney he'll come pouncing down, And march his men on London town! Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lorum, Rollicum-rorum, tol-lol-lay!
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