There are few musical figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries British Isles as influential as
Charles Villiers Stanford
.
Stanford
's reputation as a composer has generally been eclipsed by his role as a teacher at the Royal College of Music and Cambridge, where several of his pupils have overshadowed him, most notably
Ralph Vaughan Williams
and
Gustav Holst
. However,
has found a champion in the
Somm Recordings
label, which began offering recordings of his works in the 1990s. This recording of the composer's
Irish Song Cycles
offers the premiere recordings of two cycles as well as two arias from the opera
Shamus O'Brien, Op. 61
Somm
committed fully to the Irish songs of the Dublin-born
, as the three performers are also Ireland-born: mezzo-soprano
Sharon Carty
, baritone
Benjamin Russell
, and pianist
Finghin Collins
Collins
gives properly sympathetic and precise support to both singers throughout.
Carty
begins the program with the premiere recordings of the titular
Cushendall, Op. 118
. This set challenges the singer with emotional and stylistic variety, and
is strong throughout; her voice is powerful, and as it continues to mature, she will no doubt be a mezzo to keep an eye on.
Russell
may be the real find here, with a honeyed upper register and a full, dark lower. In this repertoire, it may draw comparisons to a young
Bryn Terfel
. While the inclusion of the three
Blarney Ballads
, scathing parodies of Prime Minister
William Ewart Gladstone
, may seem at odds with the rest of the program, the first song, "The Grand Ould Man," gives
a chance to show off his range as an actor-singer as he shifts from a caricatured voice of the PM to his full, deep baritone. Closing the program are the two selections (one each from two characters) from
Shamus O'Brien
. Consider the finale, "A Grave Yawns Cold," where
steps into the role of Nora, the wife of Shamus.
delivers a raw, emotional reading as Nora hears a banshee's call and dreads the arrival of her husband's death. A well-performed and recorded program, and one that should be of interest to British Isles art song enthusiasts. ~ Keith Finke