Arnold Bax, best known
for his symphonies and orchestral works
such as Tintagel, was also a
fairly prolific song composer, producing
one hundred and forty odd songs. Dutton
has here produced a selection of some
of the best of these, performed by Jean
Rigby - on top form - and Ian Partridge,
with his utterly distinctive, gorgeously
rich and classy tenor, accompanied by
a dextrous Michael Dussek.
The disc opens with
the deeply moving Youth - one
of Bax's greatest songs, which sets
a poem by his brother in a brilliant
sibling collaboration. The ensuing Parting
shows a hallmark of Bax’s early songs
in its chromaticism, and The Fairies
demonstrates another, namely Bax’s complicated
piano accompaniments. Bax has often
been criticised for piano parts that
are over-elaborate and too virtuosic
in relation to the voice line.
Other songs included
in the compilation are Lullaby,
to Bax’s own words under the pseudonym
of Sheila MacCarthy – a delicious song,
in which Rigby is delightfully sensitive;
Dark Eyes to Mine, a frenzied
love song and White Peace, one
of Bax’s most famous songs, thanks to
the championing of John McCormack. The
Enchanted Field, is a work interesting
for the fact that it originally set
a poem by Yeats until Bax removed the
poem and most likely wrote the anonymous
replacement himself, fitting the words
to the music, which results in a lively
piece that works well.
The major work on this
disc is the Celtic song cycle,
which reflects Bax’s obsession with
Ireland and all things Celtic (interestingly
enough, visiting the Bax archive in
Cork University recently, I came across
several books from Bax’s library in
Irish-Gaelic, demonstrating the extent
of his fascination!). Here, Bax sets
the Scottish author and poet William
Sharp (under his pseudonym of Fiona
Macleod) - the librettist also of Boughton’s
The Immortal Hour. It was on
hearing this particular work that Parry
exclaimed "Young Bax's stuff sounds
like a bevy of little devils!" It is
here excellently sung by Jean Rigby.
Two other songs on
this disc warrant special mention. In
setting When I was one and twenty,
Bax was faced with stiff competition.
There were excellent versions already
available by Butterworth (probably the
best known of all the settings) and
Somervell, and more to come from Gurney
the next year, Gibbs three years later
and Orr six years later still, amongst
others. Written in 1918, Bax’s rendition
might appear to be influenced by Butterworth’s
of seven years earlier, although it
lacks the lilting, serene simplicity
evoked by Butterworth’s use of a traditional
folk song. Instead, Bax is touched by
a strange, agonised sadness, which Partridge
communicates superbly. The air of the
first stanza could have come from Vaughan
Williams’ On Wenlock Edge, but
the second verse is pervaded by an unusual
and beautiful dreamy piano accompaniment
comprising falling chromatic phrases.
These hold a touch of genius, but are
slightly too intrusive and complex to
be a complete master-stroke.
The song that probably
made the biggest impression on me on
this disc is When We Are Lost. A
deeply passionate song, it again sets
Bax’s own words. Yet it is the performance
here that is utterly outstanding ...
Listen to the way Partridge sings the
penultimate phrase "When we are lost".
He lingers, luxuriating seductively
in the last letters of the final word,
in an outrageously spell-binding, indulgently
sensual, and dare I say it, almost orgasmic
expression of that short phrase. How
one wishes more singers were able to
manipulate their words thus!
I can wholly recommend
this disc. While not always flawlessly
constructed, these songs tend to be
at the very least sophisticated and
skilfully fashioned works. They are
nostalgic, impassioned, sensitive songs,
often containing a personal meaning
or message, and not only make charming
listening, but also give us a further
glimpse into this fascinating, and often
under-rated, composer. The performances
are masterly – intelligent, perceptive
and musical. Needless to say, diction
is also excellent. Both Rigby and Partridge
have an instinctive grasp for this repertoire,
and while Rigby is noteworthy, Partridge’s
voice is a sheer joy to listen to. An
absolute must for any lover of English
music or song.
Em Marshall
Ian Partridge (tenor), Jean Rigby (mezzo), Michael
Dussek (piano) 
