SONG OF THE BLACK SWAN
MUSIC FOR CELLO AND HARP

Lowri Blake, cello
Hugh Webb, harp
Lowri Records LOWRI 2001
 

  • Song of the Black Swan  -  Heitor Villa-Lobos
  • Pièce en forme de Habanera  -  Maurice Ravel
  • Arabesque no.6  -  Bohuslav Martinu
  • 3 Canciones populares españolas  -  Manuel de Falla
  • Sea Murmurs  -  Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
  • Chanson de Matin op.15 no.2  -  Edward Elgar
  • Beau Soir  -  Claude Debussy
  • The Swan  -  Camille Saint-Saëns (from The Carnival of the Animals)
  • Berceuse op.16  -  Gabriel Fauré
  • Sicilienne op.78  -  Gabriel Fauré
  • The Phantom Melody  -  Albert W. Ketèlbey
  • Prelude no.2  -  George Gershwin
  • Andantino  -  Lennox Berkeley
  • Hamabdil  -  Granville Bantock
  • Salut d'Amour op.12  -  Edward Elgar
  • Valse Sentimentale op.51 no.6  -  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • Scherzo op.12  -  Daniel Van Goëns
Hear the music with Real Audio:
Song of the Black Swan
Pièce en forme de Habanera
The collaboration between harpist Hugh Webb and myself as singer and cellist goes back a long way and, with our combination of songs and instrumental pieces, our performances have covered just about all the kinds of music that we both love. Our first CD Scotch and Soda explored the Latin, jazz and folk songs that we most enjoy. This new collection, Song of the Black Swan, is pure instrumental indulgence.

There is little repertoire for cello and harp - with their obvious complementary sonorities I can't think why - and only two of the pieces on this recording were originally written for this combination: the Song of the Black Swan and Hamabdil. As well as some popular cello pieces, we have also included song arrangements and a few rarities.

I couldn't resist playing something by Martinu, a great and prolific composer for the cello. One of my favourites is this little gem from his set of seven Arabesques.

And as for Albert W. Ketèlbey's 'Phantom Melody', I find this piece truly irresistible and also very touching. The score tells us that Phantom Melody was 'The successful composition in the Tit Bits £50 Prize Competition', and it was 'played by Auguste van Biene at all his engagements'. Alas he died whilst at his cello performing this very piece!
 
© 1999 Lowri Blake
"Song of the Black Swan is a captivating anthology" ... read the review at Classical Music on the Web
"Cellist Lowri has just the stocking filler for you" ... Croydon Advertiser
 
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