With its stunning cover
art of the storied Greek poetess
Sappho, Georgina Colwell's most
recent CD, The Tend'rest Breast
is assured a large audience of
admirers.
This is a musical feast
of settings of women's poetry, from
the Classical Greco-Roman period to
modern times. The range and variety
of selections are impressive. We are
given as many as eight Sappho
songs, by Ivor Gurney (inspired
by imaginative reconstructions of Sappho
by Canadian poet, William Bliss
Carman) and also by Lennox Berkeley;
we also have a Christina Rossetti by
Roger Quilter; an Emily Bronte by John
Ireland; and other engaging settings of
women's verse by composers Frank
Bridge, Alastair King, Madeleine Dring
and Montague Phillips.
Ms Colwell, an established
specialist on English Song and a trained
soprano, is no stranger to the British
music circuit, of course; this is a
repertoire she has finely mastered,
these many years. For career details,
as well as previous recordings and other
credits, see www.musicair.co.uk/georginacolwell.htm.
Her sensitive interpretation of
these richly varied poems by women writers,
on this occasion, amply demonstrates
Ms Colwell’s deep knowledge of the material,
in all of its complexity, tensions, and
great beauty. Devotees of English song
have long appreciated her splendid diction,
and here again they shall be impressed
with her delivery and sound.
Her accompanist, pianist
Nigel Foster, turns in a strong performance,
as well; indeed, he supports and complements Ms
Colwell's varying styles. Well
established associates by now, Foster
and Colwell are alert and sympathetically
flexible to one another’s strengths
- an essential dynamic.
The quality of the
recording is quite good, particularly
for a live performance – this is not
a finely calibrated studio recording,
mind you. And, as other reviewers have
noted, listeners will not be distracted
by very minor environmental noise, now
and again, at the recording venue (a
hall in Walton-on-Thames). If anything,
a few coughs and thuds add to the moment.
The Tend'rest Breast
is essential listening for all
devotees of women's literature. In addition
to its handsome packaging, and a color
photograph of Colwell and Foster, the
CD includes the full text of each of
the songs recorded, which is an especially useful
resource for teachers of this material.
For my part, I am using the CD with
great success in my 'Global Literatures'
class this Spring term (2006) at St
John's University, Manhattan. As one
student wrote in a recent essay, "Now
that I have heard Sappho's
poetry sung by Ms Colwell, I
have a whole new relationship to the
material; I have a better sense
of what this ancient Greek writer is
saying to us and why her slight but
fascinating body of work continues to
compel our attention."
Highly recommended, indeed, for a broad
variety of listeners and purposes.
Maureen E. Mulvihill
see also review
by Philip Scowcroft
Georgina Colwell (soprano),
Nigel Foster (piano) 
