The final concert of the first half of the Summer Term was led by Soprano, Evie Holder and Anne Bolt on Piano. The concert featured a variety of Cabaret songs from Dring and Britten.
To open the concert, Evie sang, Two Betjeman Songs by Dring. These works are all about capturing atmospheres and personalities which Evie managed to describe with music and characterization. The first song, A Bay in Anglesey captures the wind-swept bay and naturalistic features of the Welsh Coast. You could hear the influence of the English Folk Tradition in the short melodic phrases. Evie managed to capture the dramatic opening of this piece through quiet dynamics – leaving the audience on the edge of their seats!
The second song, Song of A Nightclub Proprietress was all about the drama! Evie became the owner of a Nightclub who is sick of having to tidy up after being up all night! The drama was amplified through the speech in the song, Evie really did look ‘ill and old and terrified’ by the end of this song!
The second song cycle, Britten’s Cabaret Songs allowed Evie to portray exuberant characters in her interpretation of these songs. Tell Me the Truth about Love featured a catchy melody that keeps on returning to the point of sarcasm. The piece featured chatty elements that contrasted with the flowing melody. The second piece, Funeral Blues musically features exactly what it is called. Evie’s use of portamentos in the melody added to the overdramatic cabaret sadness along with the harsh dissonant chords underneath. Evie’s intonation in this piece was remarkable – well done! Evie’s favourite song of the cycle, Johnny was playful and exciting, this piece allowed Evie to explore her vocal range, especially in the rumbling low register. The finale of an incredible concert, Calypso featured an extra surprise, a whistle – just to top off the Cabaret excitement! Evie’s diction was remarkable and her accelerando’s on the words ‘drive faster’ were done carefully and humorously. The speech-like rhythmic elements contrasted with these long flowing cabaret melodies.
Evie, thank you for a fantastic concert with such an amazing repertoire!
