With its stunning cover art of the storied Greek poetess Sappho, Georgina Colwell's most recent CD, The Tend'rest Breast is assured a large audience of admirers.

This is a musical feast of settings of women's poetry, from the Classical Greco-Roman period to modern times. The range and variety of selections are impressive. We are given as many as eight Sappho songs, by Ivor Gurney (inspired by imaginative reconstructions of Sappho by Canadian poet, William Bliss Carman) and also by Lennox Berkeley; we also have a Christina Rossetti by Roger Quilter; an Emily Bronte by John Ireland; and other engaging settings of women's verse by composers Frank Bridge, Alastair King, Madeleine Dring and Montague Phillips.

Ms Colwell, an established specialist on English Song and a trained soprano, is no stranger to the British music circuit, of course; this is a repertoire she has finely mastered, these many years. For career details, as well as previous recordings and other credits, see www.musicair.co.uk/georginacolwell.htm. Her sensitive interpretation of these richly varied poems by women writers, on this occasion, amply demonstrates Ms Colwell’s deep knowledge of the material, in all of its complexity, tensions, and great beauty. Devotees of English song have long appreciated her splendid diction, and here again they shall be impressed with her delivery and sound.

Her accompanist, pianist Nigel Foster, turns in a strong performance, as well; indeed, he supports and complements Ms Colwell's varying styles. Well established associates by now, Foster and Colwell are alert and sympathetically flexible to one another’s strengths - an essential dynamic.

The quality of the recording is quite good, particularly for a live performance – this is not a finely calibrated studio recording, mind you. And, as other reviewers have noted, listeners will not be distracted by very minor environmental noise, now and again, at the recording venue (a hall in Walton-on-Thames). If anything, a few coughs and thuds add to the moment.

The Tend'rest Breast is essential listening for all devotees of women's literature. In addition to its handsome packaging, and a color photograph of Colwell and Foster, the CD includes the full text of each of the songs recorded, which is an especially useful resource for teachers of this material. For my part, I am using the CD with great success in my 'Global Literatures' class this Spring term (2006) at St John's University, Manhattan. As one student wrote in a recent essay, "Now that I have heard Sappho's poetry sung by Ms Colwell, I have a whole new relationship to the material; I have a better sense of what this ancient Greek writer is saying to us and why her slight but fascinating body of work continues to compel our attention."  
Highly recommended, indeed, for a broad variety of listeners and purposes.
   
Maureen E. Mulvihill

see also review by Philip Scowcroft
 

 

 

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