Nicholas Phan, Michael Leopold & Ann-Marie Morgan
Description
On 'A Painted Tale', his third solo album for AVIE, tenor Nicholas Phan turns to songs of the English Renaissance and Baroque by Blow, Dowland, Ferrabosco, Lanier and Purcell, in a program which tells a story of love gained and then lost.
The composers presented on 'A Painted Tale' were greatly influenced Benjamin Britten, the muse of his two previous recordings - 'Still falls the Rain' and 'Winter Words', his solo debut recording which topped the Best Classical Recordings lists of NPR, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. 'A Painted Tale' - the title taken from a lyric by 16th century composer Thomas Morley - features songs with lute and viola da gamba by Blow, Dowland, Ferrabosco, Lanier and Purcell. Describing the programme, which tells a story of love gained and then lost, Nick says, "Reading the poetry in these songs I am fascinated by how little the human experience has changed over the centuries. By assembling these various songs into what I call 'a pastiche song cycle,' I hope that creating a dramatic context for these pieces will highlight how relevant this material still is today."
Personnel: Nicholas Phan (tenor), Michael Leopold (lute), Ann-Marie Morgan (viola da gamba)
Critical acclaim for Nicholas Phan:
"A most impressive performance...Phan is mesmerising." - BBC Radio 3 CD Review
"Refinement and steel, rare among Britten's recent tenors...a first-class performance." - BBC Music Magazine
"An inviting, distinctive recording" - Gramophone
"A star in the making...The voice is graceful, mellifluous and durable, but behind it lie sharp intelligence, poetic insight and a confident individuality." - The Sunday Times
Tracklisting
Elena Ruehr; Stephen Salters; Donald Berman; David Zobel
Vancouver Chamber Choir & Contemporary Orchestra, Clyde Mitchell
Anthony de Mare; Conrad Tao
Apollo's Fire; Jeannette Sorrell
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen; John Churchwell
Danbi Um; Juho Pohjonen
Christopher Tyler Nickel, Sarah Jackson
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Alexandra Papastefanou
Isabel Alvarez, Carlos Oramas, Jose Marin, Santiago de Murcia, Juan Hidalgo, Gaspar Sanz, Juan Aran
Tubicinatores Gedanenses et Arcus Adiuncti; Pawel Hulisz
Le Concert des Nations - Jordi Savall
L'arpa festante; Anton Steck
Ensemble d4
Lina Tur Bonet; Jadran Duncumb
Accademia del Piacere; Fahmi Alqhai; Quiteria Munoz
