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This disc from EM Records, ‘Come, let us make love deathless’, explores two very different and intriguing aspects of early twentieth-century English music, with twenty-five songs by Gustav Holst (1874–1934) and Joseph Holbrooke (1878–1958), including World Première recordings of twelve works.
James Geer is fast gaining a reputation as one of the UK’s most engaging lyric tenors, whose voice has a particularly natural attraction to English songs of this period. He is partnered on the disc by Ronald Woodley, whose combined expertise as performer and musicologist brings a fresh research dimension to these new and rarely performed repertories. The recording was made in August 2018 in the Bradshaw Hall of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, engineered and produced by Andrew Hallifax.
Gustav Holst (1874–1934) TWELVE HUMBERT WOLFE SONGS (1929) |
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1. | ‘Persephone’ |
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2. | ‘Things Lovelier’ |
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3. | ‘Now in these Fairylands’ |
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4. | ‘A Little Music’ |
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5. | ‘The Thought’ |
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6. | ‘The Floral Bandit’ |
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7. | ‘Envoi’ |
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8. | ‘The Dream-City’ |
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9. | ‘Journey’s End’ |
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10. | ‘In the Street of Lost Time’ |
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11. | ‘Rhyme’ |
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12. | ‘Betelgeuse’ |
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13. | ‘THE HEART WORSHIPS’ (1908) |
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14. | EPILOGUE: ‘I LAY THESE LILIES’ (1929) completed by Colin Matthews (2018) (WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDING) |
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Joseph Holbrooke (1878–1958) SELECTED SONGS (WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDINGS) |
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15. | ‘ANNABEL LEE’ (1905) |
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16. | ‘I CAME AT MORN’ (1907) |
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17. | ‘HOMELAND’ (1926) |
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18. | ‘COME, LET US MAKE LOVE DEATHLESS’ (1908) |
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19. | ‘KILLARY’ (1909) |
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20. | ‘TO DIANEME’ (1913) |
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21. | ‘GOLDEN DAFFODILS’ (1905) |
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22. | ‘A FAREWELL’ (1906) |
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23. | ‘GOLD’ (1930) |
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24. | ‘IN AN ALMOND TREE’ (1930) |
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25. | ‘THE REQUITAL’ (1910) |
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EMR CD028 | INTERNATIONAL
RECORD REVIEW