GERALD FINLEY (Wigmore Hall)*****

 

By Arran

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYD__TRnk_8&feature=emb_logo

Available until: I think recitals are available for one week which would be 3^rd October 2020

I love the Wigmore Hall recitals but I don’t really know what to say so I don’t usually review them but I wanted to review this concert because I really like Gerald Finley. He is a very good singer and a very kind man.

In this recital Mr Finley is accompanied by Julius Drake. They have been working together for a very long time and you can see how well they work together. They have recorded some of the songs in this concert on CD and performed them in other concerts but I don’t get tired of hearing them. Every performance is different because they perform ‘in the moment’ and they’re always worth hearing again.

The programme is French songs by Gabriel Faure and Henri Duparc and English songs by Samuel Barber, Charles Edward Ives, Harold Arlen and Cole Porter with encores by Aaron Copland and Faure.

One reason why the songs seem extra different this time is because of the current situation. It is hard to hear the song and not think of how well some of them particularly relate to the way things are now. The songs by Faure, Duparc and Barber seem especially sad. But this gives the song an extra layer of meaning and I think that’s good. This isn’t just like a frivolous evening of distractions. There are some happy songs but it is also a programme to make us think and feel – but in a really beautiful way.

There were some lovely relaxing songs especially the last Duparc song. I like the Charles Ives songs too, the four songs in this recital shows how he composed in different styles. They are songs that could be really difficult to understand but Mr Finley makes everything really clear. Memories is one of my favourites Ives songs so I’m glad he sang that one. The first half is really fun then the second half is quite sad. That was a good song for the current situation too because it starts off with being excited about seeing an opera then we end up hearing something that isn’t operatic at all.

Then Mr Finley sang two Harold Arlen songs which I have heard sung by singers like Frank Sinatra and Natalie Cole. I love music like this. It is beautiful and relaxing but it is fun too. Mr Finley is good at this type of song. He could probably sing anything. Maybe Wales will play Canada at football one day and he could sing the anthems. The last official song in the recital was The Tale of the Oyster by Cole Porter from Fifty Million Frenchman. I don’t think this is a very nice song usually but it was funny when Mr Finley sang it.

There were two encores. Ching a ring ting chaw by Aaron Copland was really fun and Mr Finley did a really brilliant high note at the end. I think that made him very happy and it made me happy too. The second encore was sadder, Apres un reve by Faure. That was beautiful and it calmed everything down. If I was at the recital it would have reminded me to be careful on the way out and keep everyone safe.

If you have closed captions on you might want to switch them off during the singing. It was trying to find English words in a French song and it comes up with words like ‘evil sorcerer’ which are nothing to do with the song and definitely nothing to do with the singer. But there is a song text and a translation for all the French songs and lyrics and the link is in the video description.

The closed captions aren’t always helpful when Mr Finley is singing in English either. His diction is really good but words which are sung are different lengths from when they’re spoken and sometimes they have a slightly different vowel and the closed captions aren’t advanced enough to work with that. But if you are hearing impaired it is easy to find the lyrics online. Though what I did with the French was I read it quickly before each song so I could watch Mr Finley perform the song.

I liked this recital a lot and I’m really glad I watched it.