Benjamin Britten wrote many of his Folksong Arrangements with Peter Pears' voice in mind, and they are frequently performed by tenors with a light quality similar to Pears, so it's a pleasant change to hear them sung by a tenor with a more substantial, almost baritonal quality. Australian Steve Davislim has such a voice, and he avoids the preciousness, which, in spite of Pears' intelligence and musicality, sometimes colored his performances. Davislim's expertise in the bel canto tradition is never in question, but he has an ...
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Benjamin Britten wrote many of his Folksong Arrangements with Peter Pears' voice in mind, and they are frequently performed by tenors with a light quality similar to Pears, so it's a pleasant change to hear them sung by a tenor with a more substantial, almost baritonal quality. Australian Steve Davislim has such a voice, and he avoids the preciousness, which, in spite of Pears' intelligence and musicality, sometimes colored his performances. Davislim's expertise in the bel canto tradition is never in question, but he has an unaffected manner that makes him imminently believable singing melodies that were essentially the popular music of earlier times. He also brings the songs an intelligence and interpretive sensitivity that are congruent with Britten's subtle manipulation of the material. These are not merely transcriptions, but skillful arrangements that bear the unmistakable imprint of his creative personality. Some arrangements, like the lovely, elegiac The Salley Gardens, are relatively...
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