ROMANTIC MASTERS (CONCERT)

Art Song Canberra

Andrew Goodwin, tenor, Roland Peelman, piano

Wesley Music Centre, Forrest 7 April

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

It was a grey autumn day and the leaves were falling from the trees around the Wesley Music Centre in Forrest. It was the perfect atmosphere for a recital of bitter-sweet romantic songs by Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

In a well-balanced program, Andrew Goodwin, tenor, and Roland Peelman, piano, took us on a romantic journey through Schumann’s Dichterliebe song cycle and five songs each by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Roland Peelman also performed Schumann’s Arabesque Op 18 and Skriabin’s Etude Op 2, No 1.

Roland Peelman first played Schumann’s Arabesque. This melodic, reflective and romantic work, beautifully played by Peelman, set the mood for the rest of the recital.

Composed in 1840, the 16 songs of Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) were set to poems by the German writer, Heinrich Heine.  These beautiful songs tell of the high and low points of a disappointed love, giving the singer an opportunity to express various emotions through the cycle.

Roland Peelman (piano) and Andrew Goodwin (tenor)

Andrew Goodwin gave a sensitive reading of the songs. He was particularly impressive in several of the songs. In Im wunderschönen Monat Mai (In the wondrous month of May), his excitement as a young man falling in love was very real. The rapid Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne (Rose, lily, dove, sun) showed his remarkably clear diction and, in Ich Grolle nicht (I bear no grudge), his passionate singing was very moving.

Goodwin studied singing at the St Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia and, with his ability in the Russian language, he was able to bring a strong depth of meaning to his performance of the songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

His moving performance of Why? by Tchaikovsky was outstanding and his wistful singing of Rachmaninoff’s Do you remember? was memorable.

It was also fascinating to compare both Tchaikovsky’s and Rachmaninoff’s different settings of Tolstoy’s poem, Do not believe it, my friend. Goodwin nicely brought out the turbulent emotions in the former and the victorious drama of the latter.

Throughout, Roland Peelman accompanied Goodwin superbly, bringing out all of the beauty and depth in these composers’ songs. His solo performances of Schumann’s Arabesque and Skriabin’s Etude were excellent.

The concert concluded with an encore of Goodwin singing L’ultima Canzone, a song by the Italian, Francesco Paolo Tosti. Goodwin’s performance of the song was thrillingly passionate and was the perfect ending to a highly successful concert.

 

Photo by Len Power

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 8 April 2024.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.