Music at Paxton: Helen Charlston and Toby Carr
Duns Parish Church, Thursday 24th July 2025 at 11.30 am
Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano) and Toby Carr (theorbo)
Garden of Eden
Having thrilled us the night before at Paxton House with a full recital, with the pianist Sholto Kynoch, Helen Charlston was in sparkling form in Duns Parish Church on Thursday morning, with a short recital accompanied by the theorbo of Toby Carr. She professed a great love for the extraordinary music of Henry Purcell, and indeed had sent us home on Wednesday with a moving rendition of Purcell’s ‘Evening Hymn’ as encore.
My own career has been hugely influenced by Purcell too, having recorded incidental music from King Arthur, Dioclesian and Timon of Athens on Deutsche Grammophon with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, and having appeared at various European festivals with the English Concert and also with Philippe Herreweghe.
It was therefore with great anticipation that I joined a very decent audience in Duns for a lovely morning recital of largely 17th century music for voice and theorbo. Toby Carr is a master of his instrument, which was much used in a vast number of works of the period. Basically, it’s a very big lute, and its size allows it to be used as an accompaniment to singers with bigger voices.
The pair began with an air from Purcell’s ‘The Fairy Queen’, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, in which Titania dances and sings with her fairies. This piece established the rapport between the two performers, and allowed us to sit back, happy in the knowledge that we would be well-entertained!
The next 45 minutes took us on a musical journey from the Garden of Eden, through the inevitable Fall and finally into the rapture of ‘Love’s Radiant Light’! Using material in three languages, and highlighting works by Purcell and the extraordinary female composer, Barbara Strozzi, the duo introduced us to a splendid selection of little known works from the 17th century.
Barbara Strozzi was that rare phenomenon of the age, a singer and composer who defied the strict rules of the time by competing with the big boys. As the child of the poet, Giulio Strozzi, she was on the spot at the right moment to seize the initiative. As a member of the Unisoni, she had access to some of the finest minds of the period. Her membership was nonetheless somewhat scandalous, and she was cruelly satirised, but, as they say, all publicity is good publicity! The first arietta Ms Charlston sang, ‘Begl’Occhi, Bel Seno, Bei Crini e Bella Bocca’ (Beautiful eyes, breasts, tresses and mouth) set the scene perfectly!
More subtle eroticism was provided by the next piece, ‘Le doux Silence de nos Bois’ by Honoré d’Ambruys, in which a shepherd seduces a shepherdess in the cool shade of a wood.
The central section of the recital, The Fall, introduced us to the less welcome aspects of love, with more Purcell and Strozzi, a plea to God to forgive our sins by Pelham Humfrey, who was an even shorter-lived contemporary of Purcell, and a modern piece written for Toby Carr by Elliott Park, ‘Song of the Olive Garden’, which explored the sonorities of the theorbo using some of the musical innovations created in the 17th century.
Love was allowed back in the final section, ending with a funny and extended piece by Barbara Strozzi, ‘Amor Dormiglione’, in which Cupid is chastised for his lazy slumberings when he should be out in the field of amatory battle, shooting his arrows of love and lust. Helen Charlston gave note of her potential as an actress, in this witty conclusion to the concert.
The attractive Parish Church in Duns was a perfect setting for this delightful morning recital, and the applause was warm and fulsome for Ms Charlston and Mr Carr. My observations from the preceding evening held good for this concert, as we were charmed by the beautiful naturalness of her voice, a particular asset in this expressive and unmannered music. I bought the recent CD produced by this duo, ‘Battle Cry’, and I can warmly recommend it.
