Luci

Michael Graves, the Chairman of the Peter Warlock Society, writes: “Warlock’s songs are among the most exquisite, inventive and original to emerge in Britain in the early part of the twentieth century. Generally under-represented in today’s song repertoire, they are particularly so for the soprano voice. This very welcome collection of Warlock’s songs, many of them rarely performed or recorded, showcases the breadth of his extraordinarily diverse oeuvre. Soprano Luci Briginshaw and pianist Eleanor Meynell here offer insightful, sensitive and highly accomplished performances”.

A welcome addition of music from Spain to the Leo Records catalogue, This is original and powerful music with balls (pardon, Lucia), free jazz with tunes you can sing by the three outstanding improvisers of the emerging Spanish new jazz scene. Spontaneous, daring and sincere music, Juan Saiz and Baldo Martínez featured in the Leo Records catalogue before. Out of nine compositions, four belong to Saiz, three to Baldo, and two to Lucia (you see, no discrimination).

Bononcini was a contemporary of Handel and for the few years he stayed in London the two men were - presumably - friendly rivals, as both had operas staged in turn (together with a few other composers) at the newly formed Royal Academy of Music. Bononcini was an exponent of the Arcadian style of Italian opera, Handel the high dramatic. It is very much that pastoral, Arcadian approach that is on display in the music on this CD.