Echoes of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sir Willard White, coupled with wonderfully sensitive piano playing, at St. John's, in Harrow (UK)
Today, I attended a lunchtime recital at my local church, St. John's in Harrow. Here, fortnightly lunchtime concerts have been running for forty-eight seasons, now. This afternoon's performers were St. John lunchtime concert debutants: Redmond Sanders (baritone), and Ben Cook (piano) - both still students, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. They performed works by George Butterworth, Benjamin Britten, Lee Hoiby, Wolseley Charles, Gerald Finzi and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
I noticed, in the Butterworth song, Loveliest of Trees, which our performers opened the programme with, that Mr Sanders' tone, in particular, projected wonderfully well in the ample church, with warm and varied colours in his excellent tone. Throughout the Britten (whose The foggy, foggy dew and The Salley Gardens, the latter song on words by W. B. Yeats, they performed) I could not shake the impression of how similar Mr Sanders' tone of voice seemed to me to be to that of Sir Willard White. Mr Sanders' dynamics, in particular, were superb, in the quiet as well as in the louder sections. In the latter song, I also noticed how unobtrusive yet excellent Mr Cook's accompaniment was, with the perfect sound balance being struck between baritone and pianist.
Jabberwocky by Lee Hoiby (on words, of course, by Lewis Carroll) was darker and more foreboding in its colorful harmonic language. Both performers rose to its challenge just fine, as they did in The Green Eyed Dragon, by Wolseley Charles. In this latter song, Mr Sanders delivered the humour required with great aplomb and wonderfully "on point" accents. A very expressive performance, including in the whispered sections, and a show of virtuosity, in every way - a joy to hear.
Gerald Finzi's Let Us Garlands Bring, a five-songs cycle on words by William Shakespeare, no less, concluded the first half of the recital. They were performed, in turn, in a beautiful, lyrical manner, with the perfect tone colour for such songs, with patient delivery (especially in the slow passages). Again, I found that Mr Sanders' tone colours reminded me of Sir Willard White - uncannily so.
After the interval, we heard Ralph Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel, a nine-song cycle, on words by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The first song, The Vagabond, was whimsical and darkly playful, and it was so delivered. The slow, second song, Let Beauty Awake, had stunning dynamics, great pianissimi (in particular) in the piano writing, which were sublimely delivered. The third song, The Roadside Fire showcased some beautiful arpeggio passage playing from Mr Cook at the piano, alike clear waterfalls, and some incredible dynamics from Mr Sanders, the baritone. The fourth and fifth songs (Youth and Love, and In Dreams) showcased some of the best singing of the afternoon from Mr Sanders, who not only brought back his tone colours that are so reminiscent of Sir Willard White, but a strength of voice and inspired sense of phrasing that reminded me of none other than Dmitri Hvorostovsky - high praise, indeed, yet completely appropriate and deserved, in my view. In the sixth song, The Infinite Shining Heavens, we had some exquisite colours and dynamics, from both, whilst the seventh and the eighth (Whither must I wander?, and Bright is the Ring of Words) were some of the highlights of the entire concert - incredibly communicate musicianship from both perfomers. The final, ninth song, I have trod the upward and the downward slope, displayed yet more Hvorostovskian power and beauty of phrasing from Mr Sanders, whose voice filled the church (here, and throughout the recital) in a stunningly warm, round and beautifully-sounding manner.
Due to the warm applause the audience in the church, this lunchtime, acclaimed Mr Sanders and Mr Cook with, at the end, we were able to be kindly treated to an encore. I did not know the work, nor its composer, but we were all informed (by Mr Sanders, just prior to the encore itself) that it is called Up From Somerset. This was a humorous song, beautifully and brilliantly delivered by the two performers, with smiles on their faces, and with all the required accents, dynamics and mannerisms in their musical delivery - an unqualified success.
Mr Sanders and Mr Cook are, for me, two extraordinary musicians. Both showed, in my view, a level of maturity in their musicianship that is not easily found, let alone in performers so young. I believe that both are destined for the great stages of the world. Mr Sanders' voice, and his ability to use that voice to serve the music he sings, in such a consummate and fully-in-control manner, ought to ensure him stardom; and Mr Cook, whose CV tells me he has already worked with musicians such as Mark Padmore and Roderick Williams, can only go from strength to strength, judging by such an incredibly sensitive and musically accomplished accompaniment performance. I look forward to hearing them both, once more … for, if they continue to perform as they did this afternoon, I (for one) would be easily ready to pay any ticket price I can afford, in order to hear them perform again.
