Schubert/Liszt – Wohin? No 5 From Müllerlieder von Franz Schubert, S.565, Schumann/Liszt – Widmung No 1 from Myrthen, S.

Philippe Jaroussky and Thibaut Garcia are incomparable singers, attentive to the slightest inflection of the pieces they perform, in a true fusion of words and notes.It will be marvellous to be back at Stowe soon, and our tutors have now announced their recitals.įirst we’ll hear from Karl Lutchmayer, who will play Mendelssohn’s Variations sérieuses, Op.54, Alkan’s Le Festin d’ Esope Op 39 No 12, Busoni’s Variations on a Chopin Prelude, and Liszt’s Totentanz.Ĭhristine Stevenson will be next, performing Beethoven – 6 Variations on the aria “Nel cor più non mi sento” WoO 70, Schubert – Sonata in A Minor D784, Liszt - Chapelle de Guillaume Tell from Années de pèlerinage – Première année – Suisse, J S Bach – Andante from Sonata in D minor, BWV 964, Brahms – Sarabande WoO 5 No 1, Felix Mendelssohn – Fantasie Op 16 No 2 and three Liszt transcriptions – These two accomplices take us on a vast exploration of melody, from the subtleties of the English masters (Dowland with the sublime melancholy of In darkness let me dwell and Purcell of course with the tragic Dido's lament, but also Britten, their direct heir, with the very rare Il est quelqu'un sur terre) to the dramatic Erlkönig by Schubert, from Mozart's crepuscular Abendempfindung to the Iberian fulgurances of Granados' Amor y odio, el mirar de la maja, not forgetting the typically French refinement of a triptych devoted to Fauré ( Au bord de l'eau, Nocturne, Les berceaux), not forgetting, of course, Poulenc's À sa guitare, a melody that gives its title to this evening's programme and in which the composer pays homage to Ronsard's genius. This is the case of Thibaut Garcia, a young star already in the firmament, worthy partner of Philippe Jaroussky whose vocal beauty and imperial singing line need no further praise.

This requires a virtuoso capable of both sonic opulence and impalpable atmospheres. The guitar, and with it its ancestors the lute or theorbo, wove learned textures around the voice, creating atmospheres that were sometimes lunar and sometimes popular (that's the paradox of this instrument), doing justice to the beauty of the texts set to music.

But this is to forget that other strings - plucked strings this time - reigned majestically in the aristocratic salons.

When we think of melody, the sounds of the piano immediately spring to mind.

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