Catherine Bott and
David Owen Norris achieve a commendable
feat in bringing off with complete proficiency
and virtuosity such a remarkably diverse
and multifarious a compilation. "A
Celebration of London in song",
London Pride encapsulates various facets
of the capital with a programme based
around geographical locations. It is
a rarity for Hyperion, recorded live
from the Spitalfields Festival in 2002.
It ranges from the eighteenth century,
with Boyce, to the present day with
Jonathan Dove's lyrical and beguiling
Five Am'rous sighs; from musicals
to English solo song. Bott tailors her
voice brilliantly to suit a disparate
assortment of works. In this context,
seemingly strange juxtapositions of
Georgian ballads, Noel Coward numbers,
music hall classics and contemporary
song-cycles actually work. With a rich
and luscious tone, Bott is delicately
sensitive in Gershwin, ingeniously adroit
in Swann and Grenfell's Joyful noise,
and scintillatingly piquant as the lady
in Wimbledon Idyll, Norris providing
hilariously astute repartee as the umpire.
The infamous They’re changing guard
at Buckingham Palace is resurrected.
William Walton gets a look-in with the
well-known Rhyme from his song
cycle A song for the Lord Mayor's
table. Bott puts her own spin on
two very different classics: Sweet
Thames flow softly, beloved of folk
music circles, and A nightingale
sang in Berkeley Square.
Accurately described
by Catherine Bott as a polymath, Norris's
role in this CD extends beyond accompanist
to composer (Big Ben Blues),
and musicologist. He also contributes
as singer in Mayfair Merry-go-round,
the accompaniment of which he has reconstructed
after an improvisation by Billy Mayerl.
As swift to adapt as Bott, his playing
is exemplary, combining an easy manner
with the inimitable discretion and vivacious
sparkle that exemplifies his characteristic
style. In his biographical notes, he
regrets that he is not a better singer,
yet here his charming, unpretentiously
sexy voice epitomises the spirit of
this collection.
I cannot recommend
this disc highly enough. It positively
radiates intelligence and wit in performances
of consummate musicianship. A truly
delightful gallimaufry!
Em Marshall
Catherine Bott (soprano) David Owen Norris (piano)