Sun 12 Jun
RNCM DAY OF SONG
THE POET’S ECHO
BOX OFFICE 0161 907 5555
www.rncm.ac.uk/dayofsong
RNCM DAY OF SONG
THE POET’S ECHO
WELCOME
The poet takes centre stage for this year’s RNCM Day of Song
as we explore how great poets have inspired great composers.
Highlights include poems from Paul Verlaine’s Fêtes galantes
as set by Fauré, Debussy and Reynaldo Hahn; the enchanting
storytelling of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as told through
music by Schubert, Schumann and Wolf; and the depiction of
pastoral England, as so eloquently expressed by Ivor Gurney,
Robert Louis Stevenson and A E Housman, and set to music by
Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth.
Four concerts showcase the talents of our singers, including
the recently formed RNCM Songsters – a special auditioned group
of our finest singers and song accompanists – who give a complete
performance of Benjamin Britten’s rarely heard masterpiece The
Poet’s Echo. The Day will also feature premières of three newly
commissioned songs by RNCM composers on poetic themes.
We are delighted to welcome our special guests – the young star
English baritone and RNCM alumnus Philip Smith who gives the
4pm recital, and the world-renowned song expert Richard Stokes
who gives a masterclass. And at the end of the day, join us in
the bar to hear acoustic performances of great poetry from the
world of popular music.
We look forward to welcoming you to the RNCM for this special
day of song.
Jonathan Fisher
artistic director
11 – 11.45am
Carole Nash Recital Room
AN ECHO OF ENGLAND
Gerald Finzi/James Flecker To a poet a thousand years hence
Gerald Finzi/Christina Rosetti Oh fair to see
Gerald Finzi/Ivor Gurney Only the wanderer
Ernest Farrar/R L Stevenson The Roadside Fire
Ernest Farrar/D G Rosetti Silent Noon
Ralph Vaughan Williams/R L Stevenson The Roadside Fire
Ralph Vaughan Williams/D G Rosetti Silent Noon
Ivor Gurney/Ivor Gurney Severn Meadows
Ivor Gurney/John Masefield By a bierside
George Butterworth/A E Housman A Shropshire Lad
Tickets
£6
12 – 1pm
RNCM Concert Hall
AN EXQUISITE HOUR
Music set to texts by Paul Verlaine:
Jules Massenet Rêvons, c’est l’heure
Gabriel Fauré Mandoline; En sourdine; Green; Prison
Reynaldo Hahn L’heure exquise; D’une prison
Ralph Vaughan Williams The sky above the roof
Claude Debussy Mandoline; En sourdine; Green
Music set to texts by Charles Baudelaire:
Henri Duparc L’invitation au voyage; La vie antérieure
Music set to texts by Heinrich Heine:
Clara Schumann Ich stand in dunklen Träumen
Robert Schumann Die Lotosblume Op 25 No 7; Tragödie
Hugo Wolf Wenn ich in deine Augen seh; Ich stand in dunklen Träumen
Robert Schumann Die Lotosblume Op 33 No 3
Tickets
£6
2 – 3.30pm
Carole Nash Recital Room
MASTERCLASS WITH RICHARD STOKES
The world-renowned song expert Richard Stokes gives a masterclass with student
singers and pianists from the RNCM.
Tickets
£6
4 – 5pm
RNCM Concert Hall
SONGS FOR LOVERS, MADMEN AND VAGABONDS
Philip Smith baritone
Jonathan Fisher piano
Music set to texts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:
Franz Schubert Der Musensohn D 766; An den Mond D 259; Ganymed; Heidenröslein D 257;
Rastlose Liebe D 138; Wanderers Nachtlied II D 768; Der Fischer D 225
Music set to texts by Charles Baudelaire:
Judith Bingham My Heart Laid Bare
Music set to texts by John Masefield:
John Ireland Vagabond; Sea Fever
Rebecca Clarke The Seal Man
Frederick Keel Three Saltwater Ballads
Tickets
£10
6 – 8pm
RNCM Concert Hall
THE POET’S ECHO
RNCM SONGSTERS
Thomas Morley/William Shakespeare It was a lover and his lass
John Dowland/Anon Weep you no more sad fountains; Come again, sweet love doth
now invite
Samuel Barber/Matthew Arnold Dover Beach Op 3
Frank Bridge/Matthew Arnold Far, far from each other
Frank Bridge/Heinrich Heine Where is it that our soul doth go?
Frank Bridge/Percy Shelley Music, when soft voices die
Benjamin Britten/Alexander Pushkin The Poet’s Echo Op 76
Franz Liszt/Victor Hugo Four French Songs
Franz Schubert/Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Der Erlkönig
Music set to texts from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre:
Franz Schubert Lied der Mignon: Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt D 877 No 4
Robert Schumann Ballade des Harfners: Was hör’ ich draussen vor dem Tor? Op 98a No 2
Hugo Wolf Mignon: Kennst du das Land
Franz Schubert Mignon und der Harfner: Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt D 877 No 1
Franz Schubert/William Shakespeare An Silvia
Gerald Finzi/William Shakespeare Who is Silvia?; It was a lover and his lass
Roger Quilter/Percy Shelley Love’s Philosophy; Music, when soft voices die
Roger Quilter/Anon Weep you no more sad fountains
Roger Quilter/William Shakespeare It was a lover and his lass
Tickets
From 8.15pm
£10
RNCM Café/Bar
POST-CONCERT EVENT
Join us for a drink after the concert and hear acoustic performances of great
poetry from the world of popular music.
Free admission, no ticket required
Booking
How to Find Us/Parking
Day Ticket
£30
Group booking discounts available
through the Box Office
Individual ticket prices as listed
within this leaflet
How to Book
In person
RNCM Box Office
124 Oxford Road
Manchester, M13 9RD
By phone
0161 907 5555
Online
www.rncm.ac.uk
Go to www.tfgm.com for details of
public transport in the Greater
Manchester area. For more detailed
information and a map of how to find
us please visit www.rncm.ac.uk/visit
The RNCM car park is located next to
the College in the basement of the
Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence,
off Rosamund Street West. Open from
5pm weekday evenings and any time
at weekends, costing £3.50 (payable
on foot at the machine). Closes at
11.30pm. Other car parking options are
available at www.rncm.ac.uk/parking
(individual event tickets only)
Food and Drink
During our Day of Song the Café is
open from 10am – 7.30pm for breakfast,
sandwiches, snacks and drinks. The
Concert Bar is open from 5pm – 9pm.
/rncmvoice
/rncmlive
Box Office 0161 907 5555
www.rncm.ac.uk/dayofsong