James Atkinson (baritone), Sholto Kynoch (piano)

Our song series, in collaboration with Oxford Lieder, resumes with the outstanding young baritone James Atkinson. At Oxford Lieder’s online Spring Weekend in February 2021, The Times wrote of James: ‘This young man is still in his final year at the Royal College of Music, but so confident was his stage manner and command of Schubert’s music… that he proclaimed himself a natural lieder singer and linguist, savouring the words almost as idiomatically as a native German speaker, his lovely lyric baritone responding to the words with invigorating warmth. As a recitalist he’s clearly a name to watch.’

Programme:
Robert Schumann: Liederkreis Op.39
Madeleine Dring: Three Shakespeare Songs
Maurice Ravel: Histoires Naturelles

He and Oxford Lieder's Artistic Director Sholto Kynoch begin their programme with one of Schumann's most popular song cycles (Liederkreis). In many ways, it's the epitome of the Romantic song cycle, full of love, longing and nature. They follow that with three settings of Shakespeare by the composer - and actor - Madeleine Dring. These wonderful songs are by turns exciting and poignant, with a film-score feel as one might expect for a composer who also wrote for the theatre and screen. Their programme concludes with Maurice Ravel's Histoires Naturelles ('Natural Histories'), five and colourful and joyously irreverent songs that deliver a brilliant commentary on familiar personalities, via the strutting peacock, the vain swan and the belligerent guinea fowl.

Doors: 5:30pm
Performance time: 6pm - 7pm

Join us after the performance for a glass of prosecco and the chance for a Q&A with the performers.

Event end 7:30pm