Louise Alder (soprano) and James Baillieu (piano)

Louise Alder began with Gypsy songs by Schumann, one bright-voiced and the second beguilingly plaintive. This whole concert was full of delightful contrasts. Playful, passionate, world-weary, James Baillieu’s masterful programming could not have been more varied or enchanting, as in the five Szymanowski songs and Panufnik’s wordless ‘Hommage à Chopin 1 & 2’ which were so beautifully haunting. Alder’s voice seemed to mature and grow in Schumann’s wistful Mignon-Lieder. Liszt’s Three Petrarch Sonnets demanded a vast emotional range from both performers and Alder’s top Ds were thrilling. The exuberant encore, ‘Love Went A‑Riding’ by Frank Bridge, made a stunning climax.

Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, 6 May 2015

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