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A Portrait (2CD)
A Portrait (2CD)
Track Listing:
[1] Sonata for Viola and Piano [2] A Humble Song to the Birds (tenor and piano) [3] Partita in G minor for solo violin [4] Rondo from Piano Sonata no. 2 in F sharp minor [5] Piano Sonata no. 3 in C sharp minor [6] Suite for descant recorder and piano [7] Pastiche Suite for recorder and piano [8] Three French Folksongs (soprano and piano) [9] Tango for piano [10] Three Seductions, for recorder and piano [11] First Love, for soprano and piano [12] I've Lost my Love, for soprano, recorder and piano [13] A Melancholy Song, for soprano, recorder and piano [14] Four Dances, for recorder and piano [15] Three Poems
[BONUS TRACK 1] Two extracts from 'Johnny the Priest' starring Jeremy Brett [BONUS TRACK 2] Trio from 'Three's Company', an opera by Antony Hopkins, libretto by Sir Michael Flanders
Description:
Antony Hopkins is a phenomenon - a fact which escapes much of the public and even press who still confuse him with the actor (Anthony). Composer, pianist, conductor, broadcaster, lecturer, author ... a true man of music. A livewire at the age of 91, (as we write in May 2012), his genius has suffered from fickle fashion, his 'serious' music being lyrical and tuneful though certainly deep and complex; his lighter music now seen as 'period' - and just ripe for redicovery. This double album contains much fine music including eight pieces written by top British composers as tributes to Antony. For all interested in the evolution of 20th century music this album will be invaluable, and it's also made with wit and humour, to suit the character of Hopkins himself.
LJR Reviews:
“..beautifully sung by Lesley-Jane Rogers.” – Ivan March (Gramophone) (Click here to read the full review)
“...ravishingly sung by Lesley-Jane Rogers.” – Colin Clarke (Fanfare) (Click here to read the full review)
“...brilliantly sung by Rogers.” – Colin Clarke (Fanfare) (Click here to read the full review)
“I will single out the beautiful voice of Lesley-Jane Rogers … for special mention.” - John France ( MusicWeb) (Click here to read full review.)
Album Reviews:
“This is a most welcome CD ... a compilation that will entertain on all levels.” – Charwood (Amazon) (Click here to read the full review)
“One of the great popularisers of classical music in the pre-Classic FM generation, Antony Hopkins was a wonderful broadcaster; as this intriguing compilation for his recent 90th birthday reveals, he is also a composer of wit and substance.” – Nicholas Kenyon (The Guardian) (Click here to read the full review)
“A delightful and ... long overdue issue commemorating on the most admired figures in classical music in Britain. A wonderful set.” – Robert Matthew-Walker (Musical Opinion) (Click here to read the full review)
“[Hopkins] did everything with distinction; and, although his muse was utterly English, his writing has almost a French piquancy The present anthology shows his range and his consistently seductive invention, with a consistent injection of often haunting lyricism. Let me finally commend all the performers whose ardent playing contributes so materially to the success of this well-annotated disc. It is indeed a Portrait, and a very well deserved one too.” - Jonathan Woolf (MusicWeb) (Click here to read the full review)
“Divine Art has produced this superb 2-CD tribute to Antony Hopkins for his 90th birthday. This tribute is a wonderful celebration of Antony Hopkins's life and music ... such an accomplished all-round musical personality. Hopkins' music ... deserves to be heard more frequently in the concert hall.” – Michael Jones (BMS News) (Click here to read the full review)
“I have been enjoying a celebratory two disc set representing [Antony Hopkins'] output. Discs worth investigating.” – Philip Scowcroft (Light Music Society) (Click here to read the full review)
“It is as a very versatile and practical composer that [Hopkins] best expresses his musical personality. The four-movement Sonata for viola and piano with which the first disc opens is a case in point: - a significant addition to [the] genre. Both discs form not only a lively portrait of the composer, but also both a sincere tribute and a musical treat in which the enthusiasm of the performers and composers is very evident.” - Andrew Mayes (Recorder Magazine) (Click here to read the full review)