Photo: Kaupo Kippas
Programme to include:
Songs by Rossini, Schumann, Kurt Weill,
Flanders and Swann, and Noel Coward.
5 February 2017 at 4.00 pm
Described in the Guardian ‘as a fast rising British talent’, Anna won a major prize at the prestigious Das Lied competition in Berlin in 2011. Since then she has undertaken major roles with English National Opera. She now has an international career as a lieder singer and has formed a close artistic partnership with the highly regarded pianist James Baillieu.
REVIEW
It is many years since OMS last had a song recital. Long memories can recall a young (now Dame) Felicity Lott with a programme of words and music, and the bass David Wilson Johnson and Melvyn Tan on fortepiano giving a Schubert cycle, both at the original Octagon in Bushey. But, this century, nothing vocal save singers with early music groups. The conventional wisdom is that singers don’t attract audiences to music clubs. But there are now so many wonderful young singers embarking on their careers that when OMS was urged to consider a song recital, they were spoilt for choice.
But how fortunate it was for us that the mezzo soprano Anna Huntley was the choice and that her regular partner, James Baillieu, was able to join her. They proved on Sunday that people will indeed come to hear a fine singer and that, as importantly, a song recital can be an occasion of as much pleasure and accomplishment as any concert experience.
A singer, uniquely, can establish a direct relationship with an audience in a way no instrumentalist can – she is addressing us as an audience but also as individuals, and we hear the sung word as directly as the spoken word. Our reaction is therefore one of person to person. Here, the Clarendon Muse is a real and essential part of the experience; every member of the audience can have eye contact and form their own direct relationship with the singer. We all have the best seat in the house.
But none of this creates an experience unless the performer can use her personality and musicality to connect with us. It was Anna Huntley’s ability to combine her wonderful voice and technique with her warm personality and acting skills which made this such a hugely satisfying and enjoyable afternoon.
Anna had chosen a programme which seemed tailor-made for her, for The Muse, and for OMS. The first half consisted of songs in Veneto dialect, German, Czech (or Roma), and Spanish/ Portuguese patois. She was a spirited young Venetian girl cheering for her boyfriend Momolo at the Regatta (Rossini), she was a proud and sorrowing Mary, Queen of Scots in Schumann’s ineffably sad song cycle, she was away with the gypsies in Bohemia’s forests in Dvorak’s songs, and then after the interval in the depths of South America with delightful re-creations of folk song by various composers. Her language coach, to whom she attributed her ability to sing so idiomatically and convincingly? James Baillieu, her pianist and companion on this vocal journey around the world.
James, in a few years, has established himself as one of the finest pianists in the vocal repertoire. He now travels the world at the demand of the great singers of the day, and one can see, and hear, why. He is Anna’s regular musical partner and he showed an uncanny understanding with her, anticipating every whim (and there were many which were clearly spontaneous), and matching her in tone and dynamic. His understated manner at the piano belied the support he gave, this was not a solo recital but a concert by two equal partners. Modest to a degree, there was star quality in all that he did.
Anna has a voice of amazing flexibility and range – she has the sense of pacing which is essential to a singer and the ability to tell a tale. One of the most telling and moving effects were her use of pianissimo to create a sense of climax – the pin dropping would have been an unwarranted intrusion.
Later, we could put away our song sheets and just revel in a succession of English ballads, all sung with complete sincerity, without affectation or exaggeration: ‘Roses of Picardy’, ‘I Heard You Singing’, ‘Because’ and so on, all old favourites. But how many of us knew or recognised Noel Coward’s ‘If Love Were All’, a touching song from the heart? On Monday, Anna tweeted ‘Yesterday I was reminded how much I love this song! Here’s a recording from two years ago with @jbaillieu @wigmore_hall’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2VjT2qXoZU -watch and relive it now! And then on through Flanders and Swann’s ‘The Warthog’, Kurt Weill’s ‘Saga of Jenny’ till Anna innocently asked, in Murray Grand’s song, ‘What’s a Lady Like Me Doing In A Joint Like This?’. She gave us an encore, a folk song from her native north east (although accuracy demands stating that her home was actually in Yorkshire!
Immediately after the concert, Anna tweeted ‘Had a fabulous afternoon with @jbaillieu! Thank you to @OMSwatford for looking after us so well – and what a lovely audience!’ Anna’s enchanting personality and musicality made this an afternoon to cherish in the memory – oh! and she did us the honour of gracing OMS with a stunning red dress and then after the interval, changing to an equally stunning silver dress! Now when did you last see that at a concert? Anna clearly felt nothing was too good for OMS!
For all this, OMS is hugely indebted to the Young Concert Artists Trust, for whom both Anna and James are selected artists. Their support in making this concert possible is much appreciated.
Tony Bramley-Harker
It is many years since OMS last had a song recital. Long memories can recall a young (now Dame) Felicity Lott with a programme of words and music, and the bass David Wilson Johnson and Melvyn Tan on fortepiano giving a Schubert cycle, both at the original Octagon in Bushey. But, this century, nothing vocal save singers with early music groups. The conventional wisdom is that singers don’t attract audiences to music clubs. But there are now so many wonderful young singers embarking on their careers that when OMS was urged to consider a song recital, they were spoilt for choice.
But how fortunate it was for us that the mezzo soprano Anna Huntley was the choice and that her regular partner, James Baillieu, was able to join her. They proved on Sunday that people will indeed come to hear a fine singer and that, as importantly, a song recital can be an occasion of as much pleasure and accomplishment as any concert experience.
A singer, uniquely, can establish a direct relationship with an audience in a way no instrumentalist can – she is addressing us as an audience but also as individuals, and we hear the sung word as directly as the spoken word. Our reaction is therefore one of person to person. Here, the Clarendon Muse is a real and essential part of the experience; every member of the audience can have eye contact and form their own direct relationship with the singer. We all have the best seat in the house.
But none of this creates an experience unless the performer can use her personality and musicality to connect with us. It was Anna Huntley’s ability to combine her wonderful voice and technique with her warm personality and acting skills which made this such a hugely satisfying and enjoyable afternoon.
Anna had chosen a programme which seemed tailor-made for her, for The Muse, and for OMS. The first half consisted of songs in Veneto dialect, German, Czech (or Roma), and Spanish/ Portuguese patois. She was a spirited young Venetian girl cheering for her boyfriend Momolo at the Regatta (Rossini), she was a proud and sorrowing Mary, Queen of Scots in Schumann’s ineffably sad song cycle, she was away with the gypsies in Bohemia’s forests in Dvorak’s songs, and then after the interval in the depths of South America with delightful re-creations of folk song by various composers. Her language coach, to whom she attributed her ability to sing so idiomatically and convincingly? James Baillieu, her pianist and companion on this vocal journey around the world.
James, in a few years, has established himself as one of the finest pianists in the vocal repertoire. He now travels the world at the demand of the great singers of the day, and one can see, and hear, why. He is Anna’s regular musical partner and he showed an uncanny understanding with her, anticipating every whim (and there were many which were clearly spontaneous), and matching her in tone and dynamic. His understated manner at the piano belied the support he gave, this was not a solo recital but a concert by two equal partners. Modest to a degree, there was star quality in all that he did.
Anna has a voice of amazing flexibility and range – she has the sense of pacing which is essential to a singer and the ability to tell a tale. One of the most telling and moving effects were her use of pianissimo to create a sense of climax – the pin dropping would have been an unwarranted intrusion.
Later, we could put away our song sheets and just revel in a succession of English ballads, all sung with complete sincerity, without affectation or exaggeration: ‘Roses of Picardy’, ‘I Heard You Singing’, ‘Because’ and so on, all old favourites. But how many of us knew or recognised Noel Coward’s ‘If Love Were All’, a touching song from the heart? On Monday, Anna tweeted ‘Yesterday I was reminded how much I love this song! Here’s a recording from two years ago with @jbaillieu @wigmore_hall’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2VjT2qXoZU -watch and relive it now! And then on through Flanders and Swann’s ‘The Warthog’, Kurt Weill’s ‘Saga of Jenny’ till Anna innocently asked, in Murray Grand’s song, ‘What’s a Lady Like Me Doing In A Joint Like This?’. She gave us an encore, a folk song from her native north east (although accuracy demands stating that her home was actually in Yorkshire!
Immediately after the concert, Anna tweeted ‘Had a fabulous afternoon with @jbaillieu! Thank you to @OMSwatford for looking after us so well – and what a lovely audience!’ Anna’s enchanting personality and musicality made this an afternoon to cherish in the memory – oh! and she did us the honour of gracing OMS with a stunning red dress and then after the interval, changing to an equally stunning silver dress! Now when did you last see that at a concert? Anna clearly felt nothing was too good for OMS!
For all this, OMS is hugely indebted to the Young Concert Artists Trust, for whom both Anna and James are selected artists. Their support in making this concert possible is much appreciated.
Tony Bramley-Harker