Music at Lunchtime
Wednesday 12 June 2024, 1.30pm
All Saints’ Church
Will Fearn baritone
Cason Kang piano
Lord God of Abraham (Elijah)
The Vagabond (Songs of Travel)
Hope (How We React and How We Recover)
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Jason Robert Brown (b. 1970)
Claude-Michel Schönberg (Les Misérables) (b. 1944)
Shiksa Goddess (The Last Five Years)
There will be a retiring collection in aid of Church funds. Please take your programme with you at the end of the recital.
Jason Robert Brown
Forthcoming Music at Lunchtime recitals
Wednesday 19 June, 1.30pm Evie Holder soprano Music by J S Bach, Schubert & Mozart and mélodies by Chausson & Poulenc
Forthcoming Music in Chapel concerts
Tickets from wegottickets.com or 01572 758820
Friday 21 June, 7.30pm
Welcome to my third and final lunchtime concert with Oakham School. In the next twenty minutes you shall hear a range of songs which I have performed throughout my years at Oakham.
The first piece, ‘Lord God of Abraham’, is taken from Mendelssohn’s most famous oratorio, Elijah. Beginning with a proclamation to ‘draw near all ye people, come to me’, in the oratorio it is sung by Elijah, the famed prophet, in supplication to God, asking for Him to show Himself to those on earth as the Almighty. A powerful work with large dynamic and tonal contrast, ‘Lord God of Abraham’ remains one of my favourites to sing and to perform.
In a similar style is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Vagabond’, a staple in any baritone’s repertoire. Part of a large cycle entitled Songs of Travel the text is drawn from the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson. ‘The Vagabond’ is the first of this cycle, setting the scene for the other eight pieces. Sung from the perspective of a traveller or ‘vagabond’, the heavy, marching, opening chords replicate the steady trudge of travel throughout the British countryside, and throughout the work the vagabond often proclaims that ‘there’s the life for a man like me’, embracing his way of life wholeheartedly. Another powerful yet highly nuanced piece, it has allowed me to develop a darker tone not only in the lower register, but in higher areas as well.
‘Hope’ is the first of the musical theatre repertoire performed this afternoon. It is a large contrast to the previous two pieces, with a much lighter tone and an entirely different style of performance. Written by Jason Robert Brown as part of a cycle of songs entitled How We React and How We Recover in the aftermath of the 2016 US Presidential Election ‘Hope’ is Jason’s chosen method of working through his thoughts and feelings about the outcome of the election. Throughout the piece, there is a repeated commitment to finding light in darkness, and hope in situations which might seem hopeless. The simplistic piano accompaniment and the colla voce style throughout the piece make for moving and heartfelt music, reflecting the emotions of the composer at the time.
‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ from Les Misérables will always have a special place in my heart. I was fortunate to play Marius Pontmercy in the Oakham School production of the show, and singing this was the highlight of every performance for me. Evoking such raw emotion, the song is one of mourning – Marius’ brothers-inarms have all fallen in their attempt at revolution, and he cannot help but feel guilty ‘that I live, and you are gone’. The vocal range required to sing this piece tested me in extending my range, and has taught me how to develop my higher register.
The final piece of this concert is another from Jason Robert Brown. ‘Shiksa Goddess’ from The Last Five Years is sung by Jamie. The song is set in the context of the beginning of a relationship between Jamie and Cathy, describing Jamie’s willingness to contravene his religion and the desires of his family in order to be in a relationship with Cathy. This was my piece for the 2024 Oakham School singing competition, in which I came second. A high-energy, highly dramatic work, I might look a little out of breath by the end! Will Fearn