Thank you very much for uploading this score-video; I have been hoping for a long time that someone would do so! Finzi was one of the greatest English songwriters, and I have long thought that this cycle is the best introduction to his wonderful oeuvre (and so sensitively interpreted by Williams and Burnside). Few have set Shakespeare such that the words and music sound like they are meant for each other - when I first heard that "To her let us garlands bring", a smile broke out from ear to ear! I sincerely hope that your work brings his beautiful art to a wider group of listeners, and inspires them to seek out more of his wonderful song cycles. Many thanks again.
I absolutely love Roderick Williams in this, there’s a purity and ease to his vowels and delivery. Too many sing overly affected, not understanding that simplicity can often be more effective. So many use an excessively ‘heroic’ tone in this English repertoire, which I don’t find appropriate for this music at all. Trilling the Rs ridiculously, pressing on everything, messing around with the embouchure too much. Comes off pretentious, unnatural and fake. Williams captures the melancholy in the first and third songs perfectly, and gives energy to the others without sounding annoying. One of the only recordings I truly enjoy.
I have to skip this because I'm writing and it has English in it, but it seems really interesting, and I'm going to bookmark it so i can listen to it later. 🙂
