I
first encountered the voice of the English baritone, Mark
Stone, when I
reviewed the
first volume of his edition of the complete songs of Roger
Quilter - when will Volume Two appear, I wonder? I commented
then that he “possesses a good, pleasing voice, which he
uses with intelligence and good taste.” And I think that
verdict holds good in terms of this new release. As was
the case on that Quilter release, he receives excellent
support from Stephen Barlow.
And
that Quilter project has had a surprising outcome. In his
booklet note Mark Stone relates that when he and Stephen
Barlow were researching Quilter’s songs they came across
references to four songs which are now lost. Stone had
the happy idea of suggesting to Barlow that he should compose
his own versions of the songs in question “in the style
of, and as a homage to, Quilter.” At the very end of this
disc we hear the second of that quartet, presumably receiving
its first recording. It’s an engaging setting of words
by Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803-1849), who, by chance or
design, also furnished the text for Britten’s
Wild with passion.
Barlow’s song is a gently melancholic piece. It sounds
completely convincing and it’s also rather lovely in its
own right. I’d like very much to hear the complete set.
All the other composers
on the programme are represented by two songs and the recital
has been thoughtfully designed. For the most part, each
pair of songs by the more recent English composers contrast
nicely with each other. In between each pairing is placed
a single example of a song from an earlier age, an arrangement
that works well.
The
Vaughan Williams pair begins with an account of Silent
Noon that’s a touch too slow for my taste. Stone sings
expressively, though he displays an occasional tendency
to over-emphasise individual words - in this case the word “rosy”,
which occurs as early as the second line. This habit crops
up on a few other occasions in the recital. It’s not a
major flaw but the effect is a little jarring when it happens,
not least because it means the line is broken. Happily,
an eloquent account of Love bade me welcome is
much more successful.
I
enjoyed the Quilter group. Love’s philosophy features
on the aforementioned Quilter recital and once again it’s
done well, with both performers conveying the eagerness
of the setting. They’re equally adept at catching the mood
of Go, lovely rose. In the Ireland coupling I much
prefer, as a song, Love is a sickness full of woes to
its more lachrymose companion. Bridge is represented by
two very fine songs. Love went a-riding is probably
the better known. This histrionic offering is given a proud,
dramatic performance and Stephen Barlow seems to make light
of the fiendish piano part. Somewhat less familiar, perhaps,
is Come to me in my dreams. This is a wonderful
song and Stone puts it across very well, especially the
gentle longing of the first and last stanzas.
Bridge’s
most famous pupil, Britten, is represented both as composer
and arranger. His arrangement of The salley gardens is
very well known. However, I can’t recall hearing his Beddoes
setting, Wild with passion, before. This short song
was, like A Ceremony of Carols, a product of Britten’s
voyage back across the Atlantic when he and Peter Pears
returned from the USA during the Second World War. It’s
appropriately tempestuous. Britten is also credited with
the Purcell arrangements. His realisation of If music
be the food of love is a bit florid for my taste but
Stone copes well with the ornate line. I like the way that
he fines down his voice for I attempt from Love’s
sickness to fly. Stephen Barlow’s accompaniments to
both of these songs are tasteful.
In
fact all the early songs are well done. Both performers
display a light touch for the Dowland pieces and the same
is true for the Handel offerings. In these Stone adds just
the right amount of decoration to the vocal line in the da
capo sections and I particularly warmed to his account
of Silent worship. The two Haydn pieces are fairly
slight but they are nonetheless delightful and good-humoured.
This
is an intelligently planned and well-executed recital.
We are certainly not short of discs of English song these
days – hurrah!. This one is well worth hearing and I appreciate
the thought that has gone into the choice of the items
included in the programme and the positioning of them within
it. The sessions took place in the pleasing acoustics of
Potton Hall, Suffolk, which is seemingly becoming a venue
of choice for recordings of song recitals. The documentation
is good and is clearly laid out.
John Quinn
Mark Stone (baritone); Stephen
Barlow (piano) 
