Last lunchtime recital saw Eliza Cohen-Gregory (Form 7) perform a diverse selection of classical songs, displaying a linguistic flexibility by singing in three languages. To begin, we heard None but the lonely heart by Tchaikovsky in which she demonstrated a wonderful evenness in tone and clarity with consonants. The second song, the popular Song to the Moon from Rusalka by Dvořák, was sung with superb flair and emotional connection. This piece is certainly challenging in its technical demands. Eliza coped well with this, showing an excellent sense of phrasing whilst showing clarity in the notes and text.
The Cuatro madrigales amatorios (Four Love Madrigals) explore the themes of excitement, infatuation, despair in love and lament. After lamenting in the first two songs, the third and four songs display renewed optimism in love, expressed in great vocal agility and precision with articulation. The confidence needed to learn and perform in three foreign languages was very impressive, as was Eliza’s tone production and technical control, which showed great ease, warmth in tone and well-sustained lines.
