Carolyn Sampson and Iestyn Davies have collaborated on many occasions in the field of Baroque opera and oratorio, but on this occasion they venture into a somewhat different territory. In the company of Joseph Middleton, they have been exploring the Lieder for one and two voices of Mendelssohn and Schumann, combining them with songs and duets by Roger Quilter. And even though the disc actually opens with a set of Purcell songs – repertoire which both singers have previously made their mark in – they are here performed with the piano accompaniments realized by Benjamin Britten, turning them into something quite new and different.

‘Creamy’, ‘luminous’ and ‘supple’ are words that often appear in reviews about both Carolyn Sampson and Iestyn Davies, and in these duets they achieve a marvellous blend as well as the utmost precision. They are aided in this by Joseph Middleton, described in The Telegraph (UK) as an ‘unfailingly sensitive accompanist’.

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Purcell: Sound the trumpet
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Purcell: Lost is my quiet
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Purcell: If music be the food of love (3rd version)
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Purcell: Music for a while
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Purcell: No, resistance is but vain
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Purcell: Celemene
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Mendelssohn: Ich wollt', mein Lieb' ergosse sich, op.63 no.1
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Mendelssohn: Gruss, op.63 no.3
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Mendelssohn: Volklied, op.63 no.5
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Mendelssohn: Maiglockchen und die Blumen, op.63 no.6
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Mendelssohn: Scheidend, op.9 no.6
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Mendelssohn: Neue Liebe, op.19 no.4
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Mendelssohn: 3 Duets, op.77 - 1. Sonntagsmorgen
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Mendelssohn: 3 Duets, op.77 - 2. Das Ahrenfeld
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Mendelssohn: 3 Duets, op.77 - 3. Lied aus 'Ruy Blas'
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Schumann: 3 Duets, op.43 - 1. Wenn ich ein Voglein war
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Schumann: 3 Duets, op.43 - 2. Herbstlied
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Schumann: 3 Duets, op.43 - 3. Schon Blumelein
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Schumann: Nachtlied, op.96 no.1
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Schumann: Stille Liebe, op.35 no.8
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Schumann: Der Einsiedler, op.83 no.3
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Schumann: Auftrage, op.77 no.5
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Schumann: So wahr die Sonne scheinet, op.37 no.12
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Quilter: It was a lover and his lass, op.23 no.3
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Quilter: Weep you no more, sad fountains
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Quilter: Music, when soft voices die, op.25 no.5
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Quilter: Drink to me only with thine eyes
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Quilter: Love's philosophy, op.3 no.1
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Quilter: Love calls through the summer night

Europadisc Review

Carolyn Sampson and Iestyn Davies are two of the brightest stars in today's British musical firmament. Though best known for their activities in the Baroque repertoire, their musical talents are wide-reaching and they have frequently worked together. And that certainly shows on this outstandingly fine disc of duets and solo songs ranging from Purcell, via the 19th-century salons of Mendelssohn and Schumann, to Roger Quilter. They are partnered by the estimable Joseph Middleton, fast becoming one of the most in-demand accompanists on the circuit, and throughout the disc there's a palpable sense of a close-knit team at work, equally at one in matters of technique and expression.

The Purcell settings that open the disc are all realizations by Benjamin Britten, and the piano accompaniments work wonderfully well, sounding all of a piece with the performances, without any hint of anachronism. Sound the trumpet makes for a lively curtain raiser, establishing a festive tone for the disc as a whole, the superbly matched voices intertwining with ease. In contrast, the following ‘title’ track, Lost is my quiet, demonstrates the singers’ refined sensitivity and silken tones. Davies’s rendition of Music for a while (originally composed for Dryden's play Oedipus) is an early highlight, beautifully nuanced and mysterious, before the duets No, resistance is but vain and Celemene bring a gentle lifting of the mood, Celemene highlighting the contrast between Sampson's shimmering soprano and Davies's velvety countertenor.

With a shift to the high Romantic era, the programme really hits its stride. One of this disc’s many attractions is the light it shines on the duets of Mendelssohn and Schumann, the former brimming over with transparent joy, the latter more emotionally complex and melancholy but still prone to outbursts of quintessentially Schumannesque exuberance (as at the marvellous halfway point of Herbstlied, op.43 no.2). As with the Purcell and Quilter, groups of duets frame solo songs, allowing each singer their moment in the sun. Davies excels in the resigned barcarolle that is Mendelssohn’s Scheidend, and even more in the magical stillness of Schumann’s Nachtlied (setting a Goethe text made famous by Schubert’s Wanderers Nachtlied II), while Sampson matches her colleague for rapt concentration in Schumann’s Kerner setting Stille Liebe. She also keeps Middleton on his toes (or is it the other way round?) in the energetically pacey Aufträge: as ever, the accompaniments are vividly articulate. Whether revelling or dreaming in nature, or brooding on the pangs of love or solitude, these are all fascinating works – not just the solo songs but equally the abundantly characterful duets – and the performances are endlessly engrossing, the vocal shading brilliantly judged.

Cleverly balancing out the opening Purcell-Britten selection, the programme concludes with a similarly engaging choice of duets and solos by Roger Quilter. This is music that combines unassuming but deft compositional skill with an appealing simplicity (charming settings of Shakespeare’s It was a lover and his lass and the anonymous Weep you no more). But Quilter’s music also touches on an underlying pain, as in the gorgeous solo Shelley setting, Music, when soft voices die. Another Shelley setting, Love’s philosophy, finds Sampson at her most radiant, while the concluding waltz-like duet, Love calls through the summer night, excerpted from Quilter’s operetta Rosmé, makes for a rousing conclusion, matching the high spirits of the disc’s opening.

Each section of the programme is as beautifully thought through as the whole, and for a wide-ranging but coherent selection of enticing and exquisitely sung duets this has to be one of the finest discs of its kind for many a year. This could easily be just another drawing-room-style recital, but the sheer quality of the musicianship raises the disc far, far beyond that. Sampson and Davies have the ability to blend their voices quite effortlessly, while each retaining their own individuality, and Middleton’s playing is fantastically responsive. The teamwork is as natural as it is alluring, with three of today’s outstanding musicians combining to create what must be a sure-fire hit. Quite simply, a bullseye.

Reviews

The billing promises much, and the performances certainly deliver. Colleagues in Baroque oratorio and opera for nigh on a decade, Carolyn Sampson and Iestyn Davies make a symbiotic partnership in these assorted duets, their tone (not least their control of vibrato) and style ideally matched. They are compelling interpreters, too, with an infectious sense of shared enjoyment in the Purcell-Britten ‘Sound the trumpet’ (Sampson’s whooping, unscripted octave leap guaranteed to provoke a smile) and the fumbling adolescent eroticism of ‘Celemene’. ... Here is a captivating, unhackneyed programme, presented by singers – a double act in a thousand – and pianist with a style and allure it would be hard to beat. No one remotely drawn to this repertoire should hold back. Richard Wigmore

Gramophone November 2017

Carolyn Sampson’s soprano sparkles and Iestyn Davies’s countertenor glides through the air in this compilation, individually and in duet. They sing together with an enjoyment of the music’s ebb and flow that is clearly shared by their pianist, Joseph Middleton. ... From the beautifully interwoven Purcell title track to the mellifluous, dirndl-wearing duets by Mendelssohn and Schumann to the bittersweet drawing-room melodies of Roger Quilter, what’s on offer here is beautifully judged, the two voices playing off each other and sharing nuanced expression. – Erica Jeal

The Guardian 7 September 2017

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New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Lost is my Quiet: Duets and Solo Songs

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Europadisc Review

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