A Knot Of Riddles Angels Of The Mind And Other Songs

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Nearly all Bliss's songs are here (only a few orchestral ones are omitted) but they're of uneven quality and are presented in almost random order, with no sense given of Bliss's development as... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: CDA671889
Label: Hyperion
Length: 2 hours 2 minutes

Bliss: A Knot of Riddles

Work length16:20

$7.70

$10.50

Henry Herford (baritone)
The Nash Ensemble
Martyn Brabbins

I. Fish in river

Track length3:06

$1.10

$1.50

II. Swallows

Track length1:18

$1.10

$1.50

III. An oyster

Track length1:45

$1.10

$1.50

IV. A weather cock

Track length2:13

$1.10

$1.50

V. A bookworm 'Hommage modeste à Maurice Ravel'

Track length1:53

$1.10

$1.50

VI. A cross of wood

Track length3:00

$1.10

$1.50

VII. Sun and moon

Track length3:05

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: Three Romantic Songs

Work length5:03

$3.30

$4.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. The hare

Track length1:37

$1.10

$1.50

II. Lovelocks

Track length2:08

$1.10

$1.50

III. The buckle

Track length1:18

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: A Christmas carol

Work length1:57

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Leo Phillips (violin), John Lenehan (piano)

Bliss: Sea love

Work length1:51

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Leo Phillips (violin)

Bliss: Vocalise

Work length1:57

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Leo Phillips (violin)

Bliss: The mad woman of Punnet's Town

Work length1:04

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Leo Phillips (violin), John Lenehan (piano)

Bliss: Seven American Poems

Work length11:09

$7.70

$10.50

Henry Herford (baritone), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Gone, gone again is summer

Track length2:04

$1.10

$1.50

II. Siege

Track length1:11

$1.10

$1.50

III. Feast

Track length1:45

$1.10

$1.50

IV. Little elegy

Track length1:46

$1.10

$1.50

V. Rain comes down

Track length2:06

$1.10

$1.50

VI. Fair Annet's song

Track length1:16

$1.10

$1.50

VII. Being young and green

Track length1:01

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: Two American Poems

Work length3:13

$2.20

$3.00

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Humoresque

Track length2:00

$1.10

$1.50

II. The return from town

Track length1:13

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: Three Songs

Work length6:52

$3.30

$4.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Thunderstorms

Track length2:05

$1.10

$1.50

II. This night

Track length3:24

$1.10

$1.50

III. Leisure

Track length1:23

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: Two Love Songs

Work length8:38

$2.20

$3.00

Henry Herford (baritone), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Fair is my love

Track length4:27

$1.10

$1.50

II. In praise of his Daphnis

Track length4:11

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: The Tramps

Work length2:11

$1.10

$1.50

Henry Herford (baritone), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: When I was one-and-twenty

Work length1:17

$1.10

$1.50

Henry Herford (baritone), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: Two Nursery Rhymes

Work length2:59

$2.20

$3.00

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Michael Collins (clarinet), John Lenehan (piano)

I. The ragwort

Track length1:33

$1.10

$1.50

II. The dandelion

Track length1:26

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: Elegiac Sonnet

Work length8:20

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor)
The Nash Ensemble
Martyn Brabbins

Bliss: Angels of the Mind

Work length16:39

$7.70

$10.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Worry about money

Track length2:47

$1.10

$1.50

II. Lenten flowers

Track length1:59

$1.10

$1.50

III. Harvest

Track length1:21

$1.10

$1.50

IV. Seed

Track length2:45

$1.10

$1.50

V. In the beck

Track length2:40

$1.10

$1.50

VI. Storm

Track length1:18

$1.10

$1.50

VII. Nocturne

Track length3:49

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: The tempest

Work length6:57

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Henry Herford (baritone)
The Nash Ensemble
Martyn Brabbins

Bliss: The ballads of the four seasons

Work length7:44

$4.40

$6.00

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

I. Spring

Track length1:58

$1.10

$1.50

II. Summer

Track length1:40

$1.10

$1.50

III. Autumn

Track length2:22

$1.10

$1.50

IV. Winter

Track length1:44

$1.10

$1.50

Bliss: The fallow deer at the lonely house

Work length2:55

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: Rich or poor

Work length1:58

$1.10

$1.50

Henry Herford (baritone), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: A child’s prayer

Work length1:40

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: Three Jolly gentlemen

Work length1:06

$1.10

$1.50

Geraldine McGreevy (soprano), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: The hammers

Work length1:36

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: Simples

Work length3:20

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: 'Tis time, I think, by Wenlock town

Work length2:24

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: At the window

Work length1:17

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

Bliss: Auvergnat

Work length1:33

$1.10

$1.50

Toby Spence (tenor), Kathron Sturrock (piano)

About
Reviews
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About

This 2-CD set presents the most comprehensive recording yet of the songs of Sir Arthur Blisswhich turns out to be a surprisingly varied output dating from all periods of his life. There are many first recordings here, and in fact many of the songs are virtually unknown. The poets range from the eighth-century Li-Po and early English to Housman, Hardy, Walter de la Mare and Kathleen Raine (the cycle Angels of the Mind), with a strong showing of the American writers Edna St Vincent Millay and Elinor Wylie. (Bliss was half-American himself.) The Nash Ensemble provides the varied instrumental backings for the many songs which are not accompanied by piano alone. The set comes with generous notes by Giles Easterbook and complete texts.

Reviews

2010

Nearly all Bliss's songs are here (only a few orchestral ones are omitted) but they're of uneven quality and are presented in almost random order, with no sense given of Bliss's development as a songwriter. It was a mistake to include the Two Love Songs, which are in fact the vocal movements of Bliss's beautiful Serenade for baritone and orchestra. Kathron Sturrock, throughout a wonderfully musical and responsive accompanist, does her best to make Bliss's piano reductions seem pianistic; but despite her they just sound clumpy.
The finest songs here are mostly on the second disc. Kathleen Raine's poems drew the best from the composer – simple eloquence, bold, shining gestures and memorable images including a fine nocturne: they're masterly, and would alone make investigating this pair of discs worthwhile.
Geraldine McGreevy sings them simply, purely and very movingly, as she does the progression from lyric charm to bare strength of The Balladsof the Four Seasons. Also on CD2 is The Tempest; this vivid storm scene is all that survives of some 1921 incidental music to Shakespeare's play, set with striking originality for two voices, trumpet, trombone and five percussion players. Things of such quality are rarer on CD1, though the ThreeSongs to poems by W H Davies are all strong, Bliss's setting of When I was one-and-twenty has a blithe insouciance, and several of the other sets contain pleasing discoveries, like the elegantly witty 'A Bookworm' from A Knot of Riddles or the charming 'Christmas Carol' that opens FourSongs. McGreevy is the best of the singers, but both Herford and Spence are committed advocates.
The best of these songs (about half) are of a quality to make their present neglect seem inexplicable.

Kathleen Raine's poems drew the best from Bliss: simple eloquence, bold, shining gestures and memorable images including a fine nocturne: they are masterly, and would alone make investigating this pair of discs worthwhile. Geraldine McGreevy sings them simply, purely and very movingly

A Knot Of Riddles Angels Of The Mind And Other Songs

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