Rising Stars of Voice
Queen’s Hall 19/8/25
James Baillieu mentor and piano, Edward Leung piano
Emily Christina Loftus, Maryam Wocial, soprano
Nancy Holt, Camilla Seale, mezzo soprano
Euan McDonald, James McIntyre, tenor
Peter Edge, Luke Terence Scott, baritone
Eight classical singers in the early stage of their careers, mentored by James Baillieu, present a fascinating morning recital at the Queen’s Hall. In last year’s similar event, twelve singers delivered a splendid ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’, which, though a treat for this Rossini fan, did relatively little for the profile of the individual singers. Renamed Rising Stars of Voice, the singers now have the focus firmly on them. Each now has a biography in the printed programme, and in the first half of the concert each presents five minutes of repertoire, a varied selection which highlights personalities and talents.
Some singers focus on one composer. Mezzo Camilla Seale delivers a searing cabaret rendition of Weill’s ‘Surabaya Johnny’, complete with spoken interjections, and the fabulous sultry chorus. Peter Edge, with a clearly focused baritone, portrays two gallus characters in songs by Michael Head, a sailor with a girl in every port in ‘Limehouse Reach’ and an old-fashioned gentleman of the road in ‘The Vagabond Song’. Richard Strauss’s ‘Beim schlafengehen’, provides soprano Emily Christina Loftus with some breath-taking high legato phrases near the end. A lovely controlled performance.
Other singers cover songs in different styles. Maryam Wocial uses gestures and well-judged eye contact to contrast the bitter-sweet Gurney ‘Tears’ with the romanticism of Hahn’s ‘Les Roses d’ispahan’ in which she relishes the French words. Mezzo Nancy Holt follows her Jonathan Dove song with Grieg’s ‘Ein Traum’, whose poetic lyrics come across clearly. Her final accelerando is beautifully shaped.
James McIntyre deserves credit for singing lesser-known Scots art-songs by Orr and F G Scott, which fit his tenor voice beautifully and he sings his Brahms Lied with conviction. Luke Terence Scott, carries off Tchaikovsky’s ‘Don Juan’s Serenade’ with aplomb (credit to James Baillieu for the racing accompaniment), and uses his bass notes to good effect in ‘Yon the Castle Wa’. Euan Macdonald, begins with a dramatic unaccompanied ‘Ca’ the Yowes’ , which he sings as he moves from the back of the hall. He ends his Hahn chanson with a high floating note and then gallops to a conclusion in Bridges ‘Love went a Riding’. A great stage presence.
James Baillieu and Edward Leung, who share piano duties in the first half, duet on one piano to accompany Brahms ‘Liebes-Lieder Waltzer’ sung by the ensemble. These sixteen expressions of the love from male and female perspectives are delivered in a dramatic and often humorous fashion, the singers turning round to sing to each other in a conversational style. Sometimes singing together in chorus, sometimes alternating lines between male and female sections, with occasional solos, they’re true to the light-heartedness of the work, underpinned by the swirling waltz rhythms. The overly indignant denunciation of old busybodies - and their imagined punishment by having locksmiths shut their mouths - provides a lesson for us all!
To hear more from these terrific young singers, look out for members of the Rising Stars of Voice in Bernstein’s ‘Chichester Psalms’ on Thursday 21st and ‘Elijah’ on Sunday 24th.
photo credit: David Charles, Edinburgh Guide
