Christina Wilson, Mezzo-Soprano
Alan Hicks, Piano
Wesley Music Centre,
Forrest 24 November
Reviewed by Len Power
‘Journey’s End’ was a well-chosen title for the final Art
Song Canberra concert for 2019. A well-chosen
romantic program of works by Duparc, Schumann, Debussy, Granados and
Sculthorpe, it offered a sense of life, love and destiny that would have resonated
differently for everyone in the audience.
Performing to a near-capacity Art Song Canberra audience, husband
and wife duo, Christina Wilson, mezzo-soprano, and Alan Hicks, piano, have a deservedly
strong following in Canberra. They have also
had busy international careers and teach at the ANU and the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music.
The program commenced with a striking performance of
‘L’Invitation au Voyage’ by Henri Duparc.
A romantic and colourful work, it was sung with great appeal by
Christina Wilson and Alan Hicks’ playing of the complex accompaniment was excellent.
This was followed by all 12 songs of Robert Schumann’s song
cycle, ‘Liederkreis Op. 39’ which was composed in 1840. These songs were set to the poems of Joseph
von Eichendorff, a Prussian writer and poet of the era of Romanticism. The highly descriptive words give a strong
sense of nature and its impact on the human condition and Schumann’s music is
sublime. They were beautifully sung by
Christina Wilson, especially the emotional “Intermezzo’, the haunting ‘Moonlit
Night’ and ‘In A Castle’ with its disturbing undercurrents.
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| Christina Wilson |
The second half of the program commenced with three ‘Songs
of Bilitis’ by Debussy which were based on the 1894 collection of erotic poetry
by Pierre Louÿs. Debussy’s music creates
a romantic, slightly forbidding and fascinating world of emotion around these
poems and they were sung with great feeling by Christina Wilson. ‘The tomb of the water-nymphs’ was especially
enjoyable and Alan Hicks provided a particularly fine accompaniment as well.
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| Alan Hicks and Christina Wilson |
Moving from haunting and ethereal works to the more passionate
works of Enrique Granados, Christina Wilson performed the three songs of ‘La
maja dolorosa’ with an impressive emotional restraint that subtly and effectively
displayed the passion behind the words.
Four Shakespeare songs set by Peter Sculthorpe were then wistfully
sung to complete this fine program.
Christina Wilson is not only a superb singer technically,
she also sings with great emotional depth and a clear understanding of the
intent of the songs. Alan Hicks is a brilliant
accompanist. Their performances together
are not to be missed.
Photos by Peter Hislop
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.
