Parry: Vocal Bits 'n Bobs

 

I just happened upon these two Parry pieces, found on Hyperion's collection of English Orchestral Songs. It seemed perfect for our Bits 'n Bobs series.

The North Wind is a declamatory song, ably handled by British baritone Christopher Maltman, although one can hear how his vibrato is rather unwieldy. His voice suits this song though, especially when he has to hold out long, high notes at loud dynamics, despite my qualms.

There is more variety running across the ten-minute The Soldier's Tent, both musically and in its text requirements. Here, one can sense Maltman is more together vocally in his lower range at quieter dynamics, although the artistic range he has to vividly portray is much wider in this song. Introspection and wist run against the bigger militaristic moments, where one is oft reminded of Vaughan Williams during its runtime.

If I had to listen to more of Hyperion's album in one sitting, I might tire of Maltman's vocals, but this was merely 15 minutes of music from Sir Hubert Parry alone. Certainly, no one would overly complain regarding the efforts of Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, especially since these two orchestral songs from Parry are only to be found here.

I will most likely return to this album when I cover Charles Villiers Stanford in the future (BLOG), so we will see how the recording holds up under further scrutiny at that time.

Bits 'n Bobs

The North Wind (3.55)
The Soldier's Tent (10.25)
     Christopher Maltman, baritone
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  Martyn Brabbins, conductor
  Hyperion; 1999

 

Find more Parry recordings HERE!