Buddug James is a
fine, versatile mezzo. So versatile,
indeed, that the entry page of her
website (http://www.buddug.co.uk/)
describes her as an "Opera Singer,
Actress and Butcher". The latter
epithet refers to the time she spent
working in the family butchery business
before study in Rome and at the Guildhall,
prior to making her way as a singer.
She has extensive operatic experience,
and has had considerable success with
her one-woman shows such as A
Knife at the Opera and, especially,
Castradiva – of which she recently
gave a performance at Handel House
Museum in London, in connection with
the fascinating exhibition Handel
and the Castrati. With her brother
and two sisters she also appears as
part of ‘The James Family’, having
recorded an album of gospels and performed
ahead of a Wales-Ireland rugby international
at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
In the summer of
2005 I wrote a short review (for the
local paper) of a recital Buddug James
and Andrew Wilson-Dickson gave as
part of the Gower Festival, a recital
which shared quite a lot of material
with this new CD. I enjoyed the recital
and I have also enjoyed the CD – though
it has to be said that the playing
time is decidedly short.
The programme begins
with five of the folk-song settings
which Haydn wrote to a commission
from the Edinburgh publisher George
Thomson in 1803/4. At the time, new
English words were used. This recording
returns to the original Welsh texts
of the songs - English translation
or summaries of these Welsh songs
are provided in the CD booklet. That
booklet, incidentally, is something
of a nightmare in terms of design
– red ink on darkly reproduced photographs
does not make for easy reading. Nor
are the notes as extensive as they
might have been. With Andrew Graham-Dickson
leading the accompanying trio at the
forte piano, the Haydn songs are a
delight – the instrumental introductions
and other contributions every bit
as rewarding as James’ own singing.
Dafydd y Garreg Wen (‘David
at the White Rock) is a fine piece
of pre-romantic dramatic monologue
and Codiad yr Ehedydd (‘The
Rising of the Lark’) a charming celebration
of natural energies. Ar Hyd y Nos
is perhaps more familiar. Living as
I do in Wales, I am often subjected
to less than ideal performances of
what most will know as ‘All Through
the Night’; how nice to hear this
setting by Haydn so sympathetically
- and movingly - sung and performed.
Gorhoffedd Gwyr Harlech
(‘The March of the Men of Harlech’)
comes up with a new freshness too,
like a painting newly restored.
There are more Welsh
folk-songs in arrangements by Pwyll
ap Siôn, beginning with a tender
version of Y Fam a’i Baban (‘A
Mother and her Baby’), with the lower
register of James’ voice heard to
particularly good effect; a rumbustious
account of a naughty childhood (Llanast,
‘Chaos’) is succeeded by a somewhat
melodramatic version of C’weiriwch
fy Nghwely (‘Tidy my Bed’). Andrew
Wilson-Dickson – as well as being
an excellent accompanist throughout
– contributes two arrangements to
the programme. The first is of the
Welsh song Mam yng nghyfraith t’wnt
i’r Afon (Mother-in-law beyond
the River’), which has a particularly
complex piano accompaniment; the second
is a version of an Irish song, Sliabh
na mBan (‘Mountain of the Women’)
sung with elegiac tenderness by James.
The Irish composer
Herbert Hughes – an avid collector
of folk songs - is well represented
by ‘I Know Where I’m Goin’’, an enjoyable
but perhaps rather too decorous arrangement.
Altogether more powerful is Phyllis
Tate’s harrowing setting of ‘The Lake
of Coolfin’, given a very fine performance
here; so too is the very different
‘O the Bonny Fisher Lad’. It’s a shame
that we seem to hear so little of
Phyllis Tate’s music these days.
The programme ends
with two more settings by contemporaries.
James Macmillan’s ‘Ballad’ adds modern
piano figurations to an authentic-sounding
vocal line and gets a compelling performance
from James. Jonathan Dove’s arrangement
of the familiar spiritual Stan’
still Jordan was made with James
in mind, and she sings it with dignity
and conviction.
This recital offers
vivacious singing with adroit and
intelligent accompaniment, in an interesting
programme of mostly unfamiliar songs.
James characterises her material in
a forceful, but unexaggerated manner
and sings, throughout, with great,
thoroughly musical, expressiveness.
A thoroughly agreeable
programme, impressively interpreted
by an accomplished singer. And how
many other mezzos are there who have
won an award for meat management skills,
at the Royal Welsh Show (1978)?
Glyn Pursglove
This recital offers
vivacious singing with adroit and
intelligent accompaniment, in an interesting
programme of mostly unfamiliar songs
… see Full Review
Buddug Verona James (mezzo); Andrew Wilson-Dickson
(piano, forte piano), Simon Jones (violin),
Kate Ayres (cello) 
