Bournemouth Chamber Music Society, Talbot Heath School
MANY years ago I was greatly impressed by Kate Royal's singing when she took part, with some Talbot Heath School colleagues, in a lunchtime recital at St Peters Church in Bournemouth. Her recital for the Bournemouth Chamber Music Society provided a packed house with a sensational resume of her astonishing artistic progress over the intervening years.
Pianist Simon Lepper's accompaniments were exceptionally sensitive to every nuance. In Strauss's Morgen his delicacy matched Royal's exquisite tonal beauty and when required, his dramatic bravura sent Bridge's Love Went A-riding skywards sup-porting a brilliant performance to perfection.
In English, German, Italian or French, Royal seems completely at ease and it was in singer-composer Hahn's A Chloris that the flow of ravishing melody was supremely evident. Seven Songs by Schumann revealed a fine affinity for their poetic sensibilities and Ravel's Five Popular Greek Songs were served with cheerful appeal.
The encore, one of my favourite traditional songs,
The Water is Wide, was more icing on a rich cake.
Mike Marsh
Review courtesy of the Daily Echo (Bournemouth) |
