Lammermuir Festival: ‘An Italian Songbook’
I was introduced to Hugo Wolf’s music by the Alberni String Quartet back in the 1960’s when they were based in Harlow and helped educate a generation of young people in the joy of classical music. The Alberni played Wolf’s ‘Italian Serenade’, a delightful work which impressed a young music lover and suggested that Wolf although an Austrian born in Slovenia and based in Vienna was very influenced by his Italian neighbours just to the south of Slovenia. This is confirmed by his Italian Songbook based on Italian folk tales collected by German writer Paul Heyse in 1860. (Heyse went on to win the Nobel prize for literature in 1910). Wolf thought these 46 little songs were the most perfect of his compositions and have become a favourite for baritones and sopranos to perform and record, including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf accompanied by Gerald Moore.
The Lammermuir decided to treat the Italian Songbook differently, firstly by singing in English with translation by Christopher Glynn and Jeremy Sams, thus making them much more accessible to a Scottish audience, and secondly staging the work as a mini opera, with Roderick Williams as the narrator guiding the young lovers. These were played by Rowan Pierce soprano, Kathryn Rudge mezzo-soprano, and their partners sung by Robert Murray and James Way, both tenors. They were superbly accompanied by Christopher Glynn on piano who having helped create this arrangement was very much in charge of this lovely performance. Even without looking at the programme notes I thought of ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’, recently performed by Scottish Opera at the Lammermuir Festival (review by Vincent Guy in the EMR). I could see Roderick Williams as a Don Alfonso figure orchestrating his young lovers!
So what we had on Sunday in the Brunton Theatre, (which is better inside than out!) was not so much a song cycle as a mini opera. This atmosphere was created by the dimming of the lights and the cast coming on theatrically. In their performance of the songs they were acting as well as singing their roles, often aided by discarding or adding their clothing. The cast were no doubt chosen for their operatic abilities as well their Lieder experience and here they not only gave great singing but great acting. Rowan Pierce who is a fast-rising young star in the opera houses of Europe was a delight in both singing and acting, as was Kathryn Rudge with her powerful mezzo voice. Their young lovers were ably played by Robert Murray and James Way who sang beautifully and acted wistfully towards their sweethearts. Roderick Williams oversaw the young lovers, commented on their activity and sat back at the end and watched their successful coming together. This new translation and staging will I suspect give ‘An Italian Songbook’ a new life. It’s more accessible, it’s fun and on Sunday it got a warm response from a big but fully masked audience at the Brunton.
