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Stanford: The Revenge; Songs of the Sea; Songs of the Fleet (CD)
Winner of the Gramophone Awards 2006 “Editor's Choice”
Composer: Charles Villiers Stanford
Conductor: Richard Hickox
Performers:
· Gerald Finley
· BBC National Chorus
· BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Audio CD (June 27, 2006)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Chandos CHSA5043
ASIN: B000F9SZCQ
Click on song titles to hear samples of Gerry's tracks
2. II The Song OF The Sou'Wester.
5. V Fare Well.
6. I At Flores In The Azores. II. Then Spake Sir Richard Grenville-III. SO Lord Howard Pass'd Away. But Sir Richard Bore In Hand.
7. IV. He Had Only A Hundred Seamen. 'Shall We Fight Or Shall We Fly?...' And Sir Richard Said Again.
8. V Sir Richard Spoke... Thousands Of Their Soldiers...-VII. And While Now... And The Battle-Thunder VIII. But Anon The Great...-IX. And The Sun... X. For He Said...
9. XI. And The Night Went Down. And We Had Not Fought Them In Vain. But Sir Richard Cried In His English Pride. XII. And The Gunner Said: 'Ay, Ay' And The Lion There Lay Dying.....
10. XIII. And The Stately Spanish Men. But He Rose Upon Their Decks. 'I Have Fought For Queen And Faith...' '...With A Joyful Spirit I Sir Richard Grenville Die!' XIV. And They Stared At The D...
11. But They Sank His Body With Honour Down. When A Wind From The Lands. Till It Smote On Their Hulls. And The Little Revenge Herself Went Down.
12. Drake's Drum.
13. Outward Bound.
14. Devon, O Devon, In Wind And Rain.
15. Homeward Bound.
16. The Old Superb.
Interview with Gerald Finley upon being awarded the Gramophone Editor’s Choice 2006 Award
I'm thrilled with the reception for this recording, and initially surprised. I think that Stanford had got lost. He was largely overlooked during that great spate of Benjamin Britten and Vaughan Williams recordings that occurred in the 1980s and '90s. These are fairly large pieces and I think record companies were a bit worried about the financial risk, given his lower profile.
I came to this fresh. I had thought that there might be a chance to listen to the Luxon in and around my late preparation, but then I've admired his singing for so long that I decided not to. I didn't want to pick up any idiosyncrasies. I've listened to it since - it's wonderful, he's so gritty and he's got such a snarl about him!
We recorded it in the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea. It's a vast place and you could hear the seagulls, which was appropriate! Every now and then we worried about whether they'd taint the perfect quiet ending. But we left that to nature - I'd love to listen to some of the alternative takes and see if you can actually hear them.
The choir was set behind the orchestra, with me in front and next to the conductor. But I was singing over the orchestra, facing them, so there was a great sense of dialogue. I would sing a line and they would respond to it.
There was almost a genuine sense of oarsmanship among us, especially when we were heaving to get the really vigorous stuff across. It was very exciting to hear the shimmering, long string passages - the orchestra were in their element. Richard got them all to listen very carefully to each other to get a very evocative seascape. We felt like we were sailing along.
In any recording session you do feel slightly that you're a marooned bunch of people, in the belly of a ship, and these kind of sea shanties match that atmosphere, that sense of camaraderie. Richard Hickox is also a very tough taskmaster - certainly our captain, and would not settle for anything less than perfect diction from the chorus.
It's great to be able to let rip with some of those songs. And singing in your own language, there's always that balance of allowing energy to flow and yet knowing when to stop it becoming rough or coarse. After all, you sail unless you're disciplined! It's a dangerous business.
What the critics say
Gramophone Awards 2006
This year’s Editor's Choice Award, went to Gerald Finley’s Stanford Songs of the Sea etc (BBC NOW/Hickox (Chandos) commended because these hearty, very British songs succeed in doing everything they set out to do perfectly! Finley is on magnificent form and Hickox and his Welsh forces are in their element!
James Inverne: As I gushed when this breathtaking disc came out earlier this year, these Stanford song-cycles have for me been almost the musical equivalent of fantasy football (the ultimate pub bore's game of nominating your dream team, regardless of cost, contracts or location) for many years. I grew up with the buccaneering excitement of the Benjamin Luxon recording, so famous that it deterred competitors for more than 20 years. As the years rolled by and still no challenger emerged, I would imagine favourite baritones taking up the gauntlet. Simon Keenlyside, Bryn Terfel- I wonder why I never thought of Gerald Finley.
Always elegant, but heroic and heartfelt, Finley is the gentleman-officer where Luxon was the lusty sea-dog. Finley has a way of homing straight in to the centre of the notes for maximum power without sacrificing nobility. Luxon's slight roughness around the stave lent him a marvellous, characterful presence. Each approach is different, both are absolutely thrilling.
But then, Finley has Richard Hickox at the helm and the elements are in every bar. You can almost feel the waves crashing over the ship, an effect heightened by Chandos's superb sound. The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales are on Armada-beating form.
If the choral work The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet is not on the same level as Songs of the Sea and Songs of the Fleet, it's interesting to have. And Finley proves, as did Luxon all those years ago, that with a world-class performer, these Stanford songs can seem as stirring as almost anything by more lauded English composers of his day.
Gramophone
"An out-and-out winner, with Finley on top form - heartily recommended! Two of Stanford's catchiest and most popular settings frame his 1904 Songs of the Sea for baritone, chorus and orchestra: both Drake's Drum and The Old Superb are instantly memorable and have alone justly secured the work's survival. But there's some terrific music tucked away in the three remaining numbers, not least the marvellously serene Homeward Bound with its burnished orchestral palette, rapt eloquence and adventurous harmonic scope."
"Finley's firmly focused, ringing tone is a joy ... he sings with unfailing ardour, intelligence and sensitivity... Hickox and his BBC Welsh forces provide exemplary support" Andrew Achenbach (Gramophone, July 2006)
Anthony Holden for The Observer, Sunday June 25, 2006
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1806464,00.html
The committed and supple baritone of Gerald Finley, recently the Royal Opera's Count Almaviva, make him a natural successor to Benjamin Luxon in these swashbuckling, if, at times, oh-so-English maritime songs. Now remembered primarily for his church music, Stanford 's rampant patriotism shines through in these lusty songs, very popular in their day, redeemed from period archness by Finley's gusto, the powerful BBC chorus, and the evident enthusiasm of conductor Richard Hickox.