Songs of War:
01. Ireland: Sea Fever [2'19]
02. Somervell: Into my heart an air that kills (No.9 from A Shropshire Lad) [1'31]
03. Vaughan Williams: Youth and Love (No.4 from Songs of Travel) [3'16]
04. Vaughan Williams: The Infinite Shining Heavens (No.6 from Songs of Travel) [2'14]
05. - 10. Butterworth: Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad [12'48]
11. Somervell: There pass the careless people (No.3 from A Shropshire Lad) [1'11]
12. Warlock: The Night [1'57]
13. Somervell: White in the moon the long road lies (No.7 from A Shropshire Lad) [2'46]
14. - 18. Butterworth: Bredon Hill and Other Songs [13'02]
19. Ireland: The Vagabond [1'48]
20. Trad.arr. Ireland: The Three Ravens [3'23]
21. Finzi: Fear no more the heat o' the sun (No.3 from Let us Garlands Bring) [5'01]
22. Bridge: Thy Hand in Mine [2'54]
23. Vaughan Williams: The Vagabond (No.1 from Songs of Travel) [3'12]
24. Rorem: An incident (No.3 from War Scenes) [1'56]
25. Gurney: When death to either shall come [1'20]
26. Gurney: In Flanders [2'50]
27. Somervell: The street sounds to a soldiers' tread (No.5 from A Shropshire Lad) [2'05]
28. Weill: Beat! Beat! Drums! (No.1 from Walt Whitman Songs) [3'18]
29. Weill: Dirge for Two Veterans (No.4 from Walt Whitman Songs) [4'11]
Simon Keenlyside- baritone & Malcolm Martineau- piano
Sony 88697944242 [recorded February 2011; digital download released November 2011]
[digital download; flacs, booklet, cover and back scans]
Recording venue: Potton Hall, Suffolk, EnglandRecording engineer: Julian Millard; Producer: Mark Brown
This recording won the Gramophone magazine's solo vocal category award for 2012. Although titled Songs of War, it must be admitted that sometimes the association with war is quite tenuous. Most of the songs are not remotely war like, concentrating instead on the physical and emotional toll taken on soldiers and on those left behind. Kurt Weill's and Ned Rorem’s harrowing settings of Walt Whitman poems offer brutal contrast to the often more gentle sadness of the English settings.
In recent years, Simon Keenlyside is probably the only singer to seriously challenge Roderick Williams as the finest baritone in English song. Here he is masterful in not only the English songs but the American and German ones too. His voice at the time of this recording combined youthful brightness with dark mahogany. He is ably supported by Malcolm Martineau in this superbly presented programme.
Sony are to be complimented in providing a booklet with this download, complete with all of the song lyrics.