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Sir John Manduell was a pivotal figure in British music – as composer, teacher, BBC producer, first principal of the Northern Royal College of Music and founder of the European Opera Centre. Beloved and revered by musicians, yet someone whose name is shamefully little known outside the music profession.
This album in tribute presents works by 16 composers from more than one generation, centred around settings of W.B. Yeats and principally songs with oboe, recorder, violin and cello. The music is varied, rich and wonderfully set to the texts, and yet the textures are always transparent and clear; there is nothing inherently ‘difficult’ for the listener. The performers are among the cream of the Music world of Northern England, and also, in the Robin Walker Nursery Rhymes (the only work not specially recorded for the album), feature the iconic veteran BBC presenter Richard Baker. Many of these artists have starred in several other Divine Art and Metier albums – click their names above for details.
Even without the Manduell connection this is a wonderfully constructed program of new chamber music. In the track list below, the non-vocal works are marked *.
- Robin Stevens (b.1958):
- Men improve with the years (2:32) Elis Pehkonen (b.1942):
- Sonnet (5:46) Martin Bussey (b.1958):
- The Cold Heaven (4:00) Geoffrey Poole (b. 1949):
- Reflection (5:41) Sally Beamish (b.1956):
- Yeats Interlude (7:26) * Michael Ball (b.1946):
- Be Still (3:49) David Horne (b.1970):
- Those Images (6:09) David Matthews (b.1943):
- Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – I. Lullaby (3:28)
- Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – II. Sweet Dancer (1:35) Kevin Malone (b.1958):
- Zuzu’s Petals (5:21) * Gary Carpenter (b.1951):
- This Great Purple Butterfly (4:36) Peter Dickinson (b.1934):
- Strings in the Earth and Air (1:40) Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989):
- Three Duets for Two Recorders – I. Moderato (1:37)
- Three Duets for Two Recorders – II. Minuet (1:52)
- Three Duets for Two Recorders – III. Allegro (1:36) Robin Walker (b.1953):
- Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 1. The Shipwrecked Sailor (1:03)
- Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 2. Lilly Pickle (0:41)
- Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 3. Staring Moon (1:09)
- Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 4. Cat and Mouse (0:58) Jeremy Pike (b.1955):
- The Cat and the Moon (4:28) Nicholas Marshall (b.1942):
- Into the Twilight (3:15) Naji Hakim (b.1955):
- The Cloths of Heaven (3:48)
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0:00
01
Men improve with the years (2:32)
02
Sonnet (5:46)
03
The Cold Heaven (4:00)
04
Reflection (5:41)
05
Yeats Interlude (7:26) *
06
Be Still (3:49)
07
Those Images (6:09)
08
Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – I. Lullaby (3:28)
09
Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – II. Sweet Dancer (1:35)
10
Zuzu's Petals (5:21) *
11
This Great Purple Butterfly (4:36)
12
Strings in the Earth and Air (1:40)
13
Three Duets for Two Recorders – I. Moderato (1:37)
14
Three Duets for Two Recorders – II. Minuet (1:52)
15
Three Duets for Two Recorders – III. Allegro (1:36)
16
Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 1. The Shipwrecked Sailor (1:03)
17
Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 2. Lilly Pickle (0:41)
18
Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 3. Staring Moon (1:09)
19
Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 4. Cat and Mouse (0:58)
20
The Cat and the Moon (4:28)
21
Into the Twilight (3:15)
22
The Cloths of Heaven (3:48)