Panufnik - Watkins: Love Song - (version for mezzo and harp) (1976) 5'
version for mezzo-soprano and harp
Music Text
Sir Philip Sydney (E)
World premiere of version
10/18/1992
Wigmore Hall, London
Helen Watkins (mezzo), David Watkins (harp)
Composer's Notes
In 1977 I was enjoying reading a huge amount of poetry while hunting down words for a commission for the mezzo soprano-piano duo, Peter and Meriel Dickinson. During my reading I was captured by ‘Just Exchange, the enchanting humorous 16th century love poem by Sir Philip Sidney,. Within moments of reading it, there on the manuscript paper was my Love Song.
This however was not a work of enough substance to fulfil my commission, not enough of a challenge for the performers. I took my Love Song into the house as a present for my wife Camilla, and subsequently wrote a vocalise (Dreamscape) for the beautiful voice of Meriel Dickinson (who several times then sang Love Song too). Later I made a voice-harp version for performance by another talented brother-and-sister duo, David and Helen Watkins.
Andrzej Panufnik
[Note: In the last days of his life, Panufnik added a string accompaniment to the voice-harp version of Love Song, on request of another friend, Mark Stephenson.]
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer
version for mezzo-soprano and harp
Music Text
Sir Philip Sydney (E)
World premiere of version
10/18/1992
Wigmore Hall, London
Helen Watkins (mezzo), David Watkins (harp)
Composer's Notes
In 1977 I was enjoying reading a huge amount of poetry while hunting down words for a commission for the mezzo soprano-piano duo, Peter and Meriel Dickinson. During my reading I was captured by ‘Just Exchange, the enchanting humorous 16th century love poem by Sir Philip Sidney,. Within moments of reading it, there on the manuscript paper was my Love Song.
This however was not a work of enough substance to fulfil my commission, not enough of a challenge for the performers. I took my Love Song into the house as a present for my wife Camilla, and subsequently wrote a vocalise (Dreamscape) for the beautiful voice of Meriel Dickinson (who several times then sang Love Song too). Later I made a voice-harp version for performance by another talented brother-and-sister duo, David and Helen Watkins.
Andrzej Panufnik
[Note: In the last days of his life, Panufnik added a string accompaniment to the voice-harp version of Love Song, on request of another friend, Mark Stephenson.]
Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer
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