Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989): Five Housman Songs Op. 14, part 3
Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989): Songs of the Half-Light Op. 65
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo Op. 22
Arthur Oldham (1926-2003): Five Chinese Lyrics
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012): Tom O'Bedlam's Song
Geoffrey Bush (1920-1998): Songs of the Zodiac

This is a joyous release, a labor of love in the end, uncovering some hitherto lesser-known Lennox Berkeley gems, and joining those in an impressively curated recital with other cycles by Benjamin Britten, Arthur Oldham, Geoffrey Bush, and an absorbing extended song by Richard Rodney Bennett.

These composers represent not only the greatest (for me) British composer of the 20th century, but also others of the same period that have been unjustly neglected and offer a consistently high level of creativity. All the songs are expertly crafted, beautifully sung by Robin Tritschler, and sensitively accompanied by an array of top instrumentalists in their fields on a contrasting array of instruments including the piano, guitar and cello.

The connecting thread through the release is the influential musical figure of Peter Pears, the almost lifelong muse and partner of Britten, and an inspiration for the varied works in this recital. This thread provides a masterful organization for a recital, providing a stunning variety amid what might look at first sight to be a more uniform track list.

For example, the first Berkeley cycle, offering immediate impact, is scored for voice and piano. It is followed by the second Berkeley cycle, this time voice and guitar. Then the Britten follows, voice and piano again, but the language is Italian. I still get surprised when I hear Britten in languages other than English. It's a masterly cycle, the style sounds almost hewn from the marble Michelangelo used to create his breakout statue of David. It is beautiful, yet strong, and yet brittle. Then we get the Oldham cycle based on short Chinese poems, each brief, two are less than a minute, but finishing on a thoughtful, and yet cleverly quiet, slightly jarring piano accompaniment.

After these short aphoristic poems, follows the extended, 10-minute 'Tom O'Bedlam's Song', with the voice accompanied by a cello. It's as if our eyesight and mental focus is being constantly switched to different focal lengths, first shorter songs, then an extended single song development. The style alters too. The Bennett is probably the most challenging to listen to, using a 12-tone serial technique that constantly upends the listener's search for a tonal base for one's emotional response. However, there are some supremely poignant moments, the ending being one example, the poignancy appearing often exactly because of the lack of a natural and constant tonality. It is expertly written, giving up its appeal more slowly, upon repeated listening, as we appreciate the arch of the words (by 'Anonymous' from Shakespeare's time) and the music. It really helps to read the words online for this. They are available from Signum Records, a link is in the accompanying booklet.

To finish this wonderful release is the Bush cycle, to short quirky poems by the contemporaneous poet David Gascoyne, and requiring the accompaniment to recite them before each one is performed. Voice and piano, with a style again different from the others on the disc, the offbeat poems are matched by the music. Take a listen to the second one, 'Gemini: The Twins' as an example, short, yet enchanting, then followed by the lunging 'Taurus: The Bull'. It's a constantly interesting and ear-catching series of songs.

The recordings throughout are excellent. This release is likely to be on my list of the 'Best of 2024'. I have an abiding interest in lieder in general, and British composers also, so this in many ways is a naturally attractive release for me. However, I would add that the imaginative choice of cycles, added to the excellence of the performances, really marks this out from the pack. While I especially loved the two Berkeley cycles, I found myself repeatedly enchanted by the variations of style and approach throughout, paired with the extremely high level of creativity, singing and playing on offer. The booklet, while not having the texts of the poems included, but which are available online from a link provided by Signum Records, gives detailed and very thoughtful notes by Robin Tritschler that ideally complete the overall release.