A Shropshire Lad: English Songs Orchestraed by Roderick Williams

by Roderick Williams, Mark Elder, Halle Orchestra

Overview

There is a lot being showcased on this album by baritone Roderick Williams. Perhaps there is too much, for the various themes explored have only tenuous connections, but this is unlikely to bother fans of Williams, who is undeniably in great form here, and who delivers some real gems. The album is something of a personal one for the singer, who has contributed to a number of his own albums as a composer but here takes a step further, arranging all of the material for orchestra. Listener reactions to his work will vary according to their conceptions of the original songs. For George Butterworth's settings of Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad, for example, those who value the merrie-olde-England aspect of A.E. Housman's poetry may be more comfortable than those who find in it a deeply melancholy aspect. The program is said to represent Williams' personal favorites among 20th century English songs and also to be a Remembrance Day observance; several of the composers featured, including Butterworth, died in the First World War. On top of all this, Williams makes a special effort to include the works of female composers, and it is here that he arguably is most successful. There are at least two little-known winners here, Madeleine Dring's beautifully romantic Shakespeare setting Take, o take those lips away, and Ruth Gipps' intricate take on George Herbert's The Pulley. There is a great deal to like here, even if one is unsure about the overall message, and the album is well-executed and recorded. The Halle and conductor Mark Elder strike ideal balances with Williams' burnished voice. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2022
Label:	Hall?
UPC:	5065001341854
Rank:	175511

Tracks

1. Great Things
2. Sea Fever
3. The Joy of Earth
4. To Gratiana Dancing and Singing
5. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~Loveliest of Trees
6. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~When I Was One-and-Twenty
7. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~Look Not in Mine Eyes
8. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~Think No More, Lad
9. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~The Lads in Their Hundreds
10. Six Songs from 'A Shropshire Lad'~Is My Team Ploughing?
11. The Pulley
12. The House of Life~Love-sight
13. The House of Life~Silent Noon
14. The House of Life~Love's Minstrels
15. The House of Life~Heart's Haven
16. The House of Life~Death in Love
17. The House of Life~Love's Last Gift
18. Take, O Take Those Lips Away
19. When I Set Out for Lyonesse
20. The Seal Man
21. Silent Noon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Roderick Williams   Primary Artist,Baritone (Vocal)
Mark Elder   Primary Artist,Conductor
Halle Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Roderick Williams   Liner Notes,Orchestration
George Butterworth   Composer
Dante Gabriel Rossetti   Poetry
David Ylla-Somers   Liner Note Translation
Rebecca Clarke   Composer
George Herbert   Poetry
Steve Portnoi   Balance Engineer
Ruth Gipps   Composer
Jeremy Hayes   Producer
Niall Gault   Assistant Engineer
Alfred Edward Housman   Poetry
Andrew Burn   Liner Notes
Madeleine Dring   Composer
Richard Lovelace   Poetry
George Russell   Poetry
Ralph Vaughan Williams   Composer
Ernest Farrar   Composer
Thomas Hardy   Poetry
John Masefield   Poetry
William Denis Browne   Composer
John Ireland   Composer
Alex Burns   Photography
James Burton   Composer
Katja Klier   Liner Note Translation
Ina Boyle   Composer