Art Song Canberra
Jill Sullivan, mezzo-soprano
Robert Harris, viola
Alan Hicks, piano
Wesley Music Centre
15 October
Reviewed by Len Power
Jill Sullivan has performed throughout Australia and has an
extensive concert, chamber and recital repertoire. This concert was her first appearance for Art
Song Canberra.
She sang songs with a Night theme that showed the full range
of her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice and she was accompanied on piano by frequent
Art Song performer, Alan Hicks. They
were joined for certain pieces by violist, Robert Harris.
Sullivan sang songs by a wide range of composers including
Handel, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler, Debussy and Respighi. She gave particularly interesting
introductions to each of the groups of songs.
The concert commenced with Handel’s ‘O sleep’ from ‘Semelee’
which she sang with great sensitivity. She
followed this with two songs by Franz Schubert, ‘Night and Dreams’ and ‘The
Wanderer’s Night Song’, giving both a hauntingly beautiful quality.
Next on the program were two songs for contralto and viola
with piano by Johannes Brahms. Sullivan
gave a deeply reflective and moving performance of these songs and the viola
accompaniment by Robert Harris was superb.
The combination of piano, voice and viola made the second song, ‘Sacred
Lullaby’, one of the highlights of the concert.
 |
| Left to Right: Robert Harris, Alan Hicks, Jill Sullivan (photo by Peter Hislop) |
Other highlights included ‘At Midnight’ by Hugo Wolf, a
highly atmospheric piece that was sung by Sullivan with great feeling,
Debussy’s ‘Beautiful Evening’, ‘Dearest Night’ by Bachalet and the delightful final
song of the program, ‘Where Flamingoes Fly’ by Spoliansky.
Robert Harris and Alan Hicks played two sets of songs for
viola and piano only, starting with two songs from Shubert’s ‘Die Winterreise’,
transcribed for viola by Roger Benedict.
In the second half of the concert they played two songs from ‘Five
Popular Argentinian songs’ by Alberto Ginastera which had a restrained passionate
edge that was quite thrilling. Both sets
of songs were played extremely well.
Although all of the songs presented had a Night theme, it
was a concert of great variety that was stimulating and musically satisfying
and enjoyable.
This review was first
published in Canberra City News digital edition of 16 October.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7’s new ‘On Stage’ program on Mondays from
3.30pm and on ‘Artcetera’ from 9.00am on Saturdays.