Works by Butterworth, Bridge, Quilter, Vaughan Williams et al
Trevor Alexander (baritone); Peter Crockford (piano)
Divine Art DDX 21114 68:03 mins
The baritone Trevor Alexander has enjoyed a rich and varied career in opera and music theatre, and on the concert platform. This selection of English songs is his debut recording as a soloist, and is worth the wait. Butterworth’s ‘Is my team ploughing?’ immediately showcases Alexander’s mature interpretive temperament. Unlike many singers, he has convincingly unaffected ‘voices’ for the poet Housman’s two protagonists, and the technical control to give each the poise and stability needed.
Subtle delineations of mood ensure Marshall’s ‘I hear you calling me’ (a John McCormack calling-card) avoids sentimentality, sitting comfortably alongside a mellifluous account of Quilter’s ‘Now sleeps the crimson petal’. Though nominally a baritone, Alexander has a silky, tenor-like upper register which lends a sense of elevation to Hely-Hutchinson’s ‘Dream Song’ and enables the softly floated top note concluding Cyril Scott’s ‘Lullaby.’
Nor is Alexander found wanting when a more dramatic, declamatory style is needed. His impressive control of dynamics lends spine and structure to both Bridge’s ‘What shall I your true love tell?’, and to Quilter’s similarly self-reflective ‘I arise from dreams of thee.’ Peter Crockford provides empathetic accompaniments, consistently enhancing mood and atmosphere while never jockeying with his singer for attention. If there’s one drawback to Dreams, Desires, Desolation, it’s the preponderance of slow and mid-tempo songs, with little of an upbeat nature rhythmically.
But that’s a niggle, not a major objection, and it’s more than offset by the consistent pleasure Alexander’s cultured singing brings. Song texts are absent from the otherwise informative booklet, but the crystal clarity of Alexander’s diction means they’re hardly necessary.