ELIZABETH Watts returns to Sheffield next Thursday in the capacity in which she won the Rosenblatt Song Prize at last year's Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
At her Music in the Round song recital at Upper Chapel she renews acquaintances with Phillip Thomas, the pianist who accompanied her at her Cardiff triumph – not to be confused with the locally-known Philip Thomas of the same persuasion.
Their concert takes in seven songs by Mozart, four by Liszt, five by Rachmaninov and five by Hahn – 10 counting his Five Little Songs, the only song cycle as such being performed.
Having just made her debut as Susanna in Mozart's Figaro with the Santa Fe Opera in America, Liz begins with the composer's songs, most of them among his better-known ones.
They are Als Luise die Briefe (On Louise burning her faithless lover's letters); probably the best-known, Das Veilchen (The Violet – Goethe); Abendempfindung (Evening thoughts); Dans un bois (Dark and lonely wood); Ridente la calma (Happy and calm); Wie unglücklich bin ich nit (How unhappy I am); and Die Zauberer (The Wizard).
Liszt penned some 60 songs, at least 20 of them in two or three versions, represented by the Tristanesque Die Lorelei (The Lorelei – Heine); and three Victor Hugo settings, Oh! Quand je dors (In my dreams), S'il est un charmant gazon (If there be a charming lawn), Comment disaient-ils (How, they asked).
Most of Rachmaninov's large corpus of songs, all written in Russia before the 1917 Revolution, are absolute gems. The four Liz sings are Lilacs – a Jussi Björling favourite; Oni otvechali (They replied – Hugo); Zdes' khorosho (How peaceful); Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (Sing not, o lovely one – Pushkin); and Son (Dream).
The charm and melodic grace to be found in the 100-plus songs of Venezuelan-born Reynaldo Hahn, who became exquisitely Parisian, is heard in À Chloris (To Chloris); the Fauré-like Le rossignol des lilas (The nightingale in the lilac bush); Rèverie (Dreaming); one of his best-known, Si mes vers avaient des ailes (If only my poems had wings – Hugo); and Le printemps (Spring). The Five Petits Chansons by him are The Swing, Windy Nights, My Ship and I, The Stars, and A Good Boy.
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