SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

The coming bank holiday weekend sees the launch of a mini-festival of song in the Worcestershire town of Malvern famous for its spring water and also as the home of Sir Edward Elgar for some years. Organised by the English baritone William Coleman, Malvern Songfest 2008 is a celebration of song, poetry and landscape, featuring the works of Worcestershire composers Ian Venables and  Elaine Hugh-Jones and also other works by the  Scottish art song composer and pianist Claire Liddell. A number of world premiere performances will be included.

The two day event will take place in St Edmund’s Hall , Malvern College, College Road and consists of two recitals, one on Saturday May 3rd at 7pm and a second on Sunday May 4th at 2.30 pm.

On Sat 3rd May,  William Coleman is joined by Helen Massey soprano and William Coleman baritone in premiere performances of songs by Elaine Hugh-Jones, Claire Liddell and Ian Venables, accompanied by pianists Phillip Collin and Claire Liddell herself. The Programme will  include:

Elaine Hugh-Jones
The Nightingale near the house  (Text by Harold Monroe)
The starlight Night (Gerard Manley Hopkins)
The New House* (Edward Thomas)
House and Man*

Ian Venables
Flying crooked (Robert Graves)
At Midnight (Edna St Vincent Millay)
The Way Through (Jennifer Andrews)
November Piano* (Charles Bennett)

Claire Liddell
Songs of Rest to words by  King Charles II, John Masefield, Shakespeare, Vera Peiffer, among others

Transformations (Thomas Hardy) First performance in England.

* (World premieres)

Songs by Vaughan Williams, Ivor Gurney, and Schubert will also be featured.

For Sunday  4th May  at 2.30pm tenor  Peter Wilman joins  William Coleman for premiere performances of songs by  Gurney, Claire Liddell and Ian Venables, accompanied by Philip Collin, Robert Challinor and Claire Liddell. This programme consists of:

Ivor Gurney
Alexander* (Walter de la Mare)
Fain would I change that note* (Capt. Tobias Hume)
In Flanders  (FW Harvey)

W Denis-Browne
Dream Tryst (Francis Thompson)
Arabia (Walter de la Mare)
To Gratiana dancing and singing (Richard Lovelace)

Edward Nesbit
Legion*  (David Harsent - librettist for Sir Harrison Birtwisle's The Minotaur Ed.)
The Wall, Caterpillar, Daisychain, The Piss-pail, Ghost Archaeology

Interval

Ian Venables
Songs of Eternity and Sorrow (AE Houseman)
Easter Hymn, When green buds hang in the Elm, Oh who is that young sinner? Because I liked you better.

Roger Quilter
Songs from the Elizabethan Lyrics

Claire Liddell
Cabaret Songs* (A cycle of new arrangements of favourite songs from Broadway and the West End. Featuring songs by Bernstein, Cole Porter, Noel Coward and others.)

*World Premiere

Tickets:

Single tickets cost  £15 or £12 in advance /  A two recital supporter ticket costs£20.

Ticket enquiries to : 01684 578009 / 07814 921251 or email william.coleman-bar@virgin.net

There is some further  information at www.myspace.com/ malvernsongfest

Bill Kenny