Keenlyside and Martineau serenade at Wigmore

Wigmore Hall 26/10/2008 Simon Keelyside – baritone Malcolm Martineu - piano
Part I
Gabriel Faure/ Paul Verlaine - Mandoline
Gabriel Faure/ Paul Verlaine - En sourdine
Gabriel Faure/ Paul Verlaine - Green
Gabriel Faure/ Armand Silvestre - Notre Amour
Gabriel Faure/ Armand Silvestre - Fleur jetee
Gabriel Faure/ Paul Verlaine - Spleen
Gabriel Faure/ Edmond Haraucourt – Madrigal de Shylock
Gabriel Faure/ Louis Pomey - Aubade
Gabriel Faure/ Victor Hugo - Le papillon et la fleur

Maurice Ravel/Jules Renard – Histoires naturelles Le paon * Le grillon * Le cygne * Le martin-pecheur * La pintade

Part II
Hugo Wolf/ Eduard Morike - Morike Lieder Gesang Weylas * Heimweh * Auf eine Christblume II * Lied vom Winde *

Franz Schubert/ William Shakespeare – An Sylvia
Franz Schubert/ Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis Seewis – Die Einsiedelei
Franz Schubert/ Pope, trans Herder – Verklarung
Franz Schubert/ Johann Baptist Mayrhofer – Freiwilliges Versinken
Franz Schubert/ Friedrich Schiller – Gruppe aus dem Tartarus
Franz Schubert/ Johann Peter Silbert – Himmelsfunken
Franz Schubert/ Ludwig Rellstab – Standchen
Franz Schubert/ Karl Gottfried von Leitner – Die Sterne
Franz Schubert/ Ernst Schulze – Auf der Bruck

Encores:
Hugo Wolf/ Eduard Morike – “Der Knabe und das Immlein”
Hugo Wolf/ Eduard Morike - “An die Geliebte”
Francis Poulenc/ Guillaume Apollinaire - “Hôtel”


I have been looking forward to this for a while and it proved to be everything I expected and more!

It is well known that Simon Keenlyside does quite a lot of lieder-singing and that he is fond of the genre. Also the things I most admire about him is his technique and his phrasing. In both the Don Carlo and the Don Giovanni I heard him in it was the intimate, softer passages that I liked most. And he is en excellent story teller.

There is no better time to enjoy these things than during a Liederabend. And it is one of the few times you will get to enjoy a singer’s voice at its fullest. There are no sets and costumes, no 100 instruments to battle for your ears’ attention.

I was quite surprised that the program was half-French and when almost arriving late panicked that I didn’t know it and wouldn’t understand a thing. I needn’t have worried! His French is very good, much much better than I expected. In fact I dispensed with the program altogether because I understood every single word. This was actually the part of the evening I liked best. Though by only a fraction ;-) I liked the lot and the French bit probably won me over a tiny bit more because of its romantic, soft and sensuous lines. It was just perfect for a Sunday afternoon!

Malcolm Martineau is his perfect match, the outcome of the night was definitely due to their excellent collaboration. They have this obvious artistic bond which gives instant musical communication. And he is a cheeky one!!! Being sat on the side I practically had him in direct view … a pleasure to just watch the stories play on his features and his knowing smiles which preceded each playful note with a fraction of a second! A delight!

SK’s German was even better than his French and boy does he sing it well! Schubert was a total treat and he didn’ hold anything back! There was a well deserved explosion of cheers and applause after that Auf der Bruck!


Every time I go back to the Wigmore I like it more. Love the acoustics and love their relaxed, friendly ways and their warm appreciation of the performers. Where else are you kindly and friendly asked to try and control your cough and drops are provided by the staff if you need them? The program also kindly reminds you when the songs go on on the next page and also advise you to please turn as silently as possible… just imagine a couple of hundreds of people going all at the same time : flip flip!


The incredible picture was taken by Joyce DiDonato

I really don’t know how to explain it, but it felt as if it was an evening with friends, artists and public alike felt cocooned in a bubble of harmony and warmth. And both Simon and Malcolm perfectly captured the feeling in their last encore (of 3!!) : Hotel/Poulenc.

I am glad this got recorded for the Wigmore, so we can have a reminder of a perfect moment in time and music.

I am going to leave you now with my favourite Schubert bits of the night from a wonderful recording Simon Keenlyside and Malcolm Martineau did a couple of years ago ( I uploaded these from my own cd ;-)) Mind you, Simon’s voice has change quite a lot since then, it is darker, more burnished and I feel more expressive. I also suspect he is always better live than recorded because he has tremendous energy in the midst of the performance.


Himmelsfunken



Das Standchen




Die Sterne



Auf der Bruck

I also dug up this version of the last encore, it is just wonderful! Unfortunately not with Simon, but really good as well:
Poulenc Hotel:

Banalites: Hotel - F. Poulenc

I believe it is from this CD ( but do correct me anyone if you realise i am wrong)

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon everyone!