More on Vancouver Song Institute

Vancouver was a great success, and a tribute to the organistaion of Rena Sharon and all her team. It was most enjoyable not only giving classes and lectures, but going to others given by Graham Johnson and Susan Youens in particular. My recital with Graham wasn’t designed to be especially long, but we decided to embellish it with some dialogue from the stage, and as a result it went on for at least half an hour longer. Never mind, the listeners seemed pleased to get their money’s worth.

September workshop at Ansells

Our Ansells Song Day on September 15th, which will look at how to build a programme, is fully booked. The last time we had a day like this we were amazed at people’s resourcefulness in finding connections between songs which at first sight seemed to belong to different worlds. This time I’m prepared to be astonished.

Writing

As well as providing a chapter on European Art Song for the Cambridge Companion to Singing, Stephen has written an acclaimed work on the interpretation of English song – Sing English Song. There have long been books on German Lieder and French Mélodies, and it was Pierre Bernac’s Interpretation of French Song which prompted him to create something similar for the English repertoire.

Stephen passionately believes that for the English-speaking singer the best approach to gaining experience in singing with intelligence and understanding is to start with one’s native language. Two of the problems for the young singer, namely the pronunciation and meaning of a foreign text, are immediately removed. Quite apart from this eminently practical purpose, there is the quality of the songs themselves, many of which stand comparison with their French and German counterparts. The book is mainly aimed at British students who might otherwise not be encouraged to explore their own musical heritage, but will also appeal to foreign singers who are interested to develop their knowledge of the language and the music.

Some reviews:

‘…a helpful guide, giving insight into the genre for advanced students and performers alike.’ – Sheet Music

‘…a wonderfully thought-provoking book which will in fact encourage singers to re-examine their approach to any music, not just that by English composers.’ – Classical Music

‘Stephen Varcoe has produced a valuable book, Sing English Song, outlining just how we shape our elusive tongue.’ – The Independent

‘Stephen Varcoe’s approach reflects both the practical experience accumulated during his distinguished career as a singer, and the serious thought he has given to the theoretical underpinnings of his art and craft. Quite apart from the valuable things it has to say, the book makes a most enjoyable read; Stephen Varcoe is a natural writer, and this is one of those books where by the end you feel that you know the author well and would get on with them if ever you met them.’ The English Poetry and Song Society Newsletter

CD Reviews

Stanford songs volume 1:

‘Sung with exceptional sensitivity and intelligence…a pleasure to listen to’ (Gramophone)

‘Warmly recommended’ (Classic CD)

‘No praise can be too high for Stephen Varcoe…his warm, natural baritone, finely judged legato and sensitivity to words are a joy throuhgout’ (International Record Review)

Stanford songs volume 2:

‘Stephen Varcoe is the perfect singer for this repertoire. A treasure of a disc’ (Fanfare)

‘Maintains in each and every bar the high standards of the previous release’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Beautifully performed with excellent notes, this recording will convince even the skeptical of the true worth of these songs…a most sensitive performance’ (Gramophone)

‘This collection, along with its predecessor, has changed my life. Without any question, it contains some magnificent songs, settings that would grace any company under the sun…voice and piano are in true partnership. I can only salute with deepest admiration Stephen Varcoe’s sterling baritone, so utterly sympathetic to Stanford’s every note, so undemonstratively secure, so responsive to word and musical line’ (International Record Review)

Parry songs:

‘Une heure d’absolu ravissement’ (Diapason)

Fauré songs:

‘The immaculate voice of Stephen Varcoe singing the four songs of Mirages’ (Music Web International)

Grainger vol 2: songs for baritone – Chandos:

Stephen Varcoe’s nothing less than a marvel. The intonation is dead-on true, the tone clear, the diction immaculate. He phrases sound as supple as a great pop singer, like Bennett, Sinatra, Tormé, or Astaire. He has no annoying vocal mannerisms to snatch attention from the music. He sings superbly even in dialect. Even more wonderful, he has solved the chief problem of a singer of songs: that of “naturalness.” He communicates. He knows what the texts are about and can convey them to the listener. He’s a singing story-teller. I’d love to hear a Winterreise from him, or a Fauré recital. [Classical Net – Steve Schwarz]

Armstrong Gibbs songs – Hyperion

Stephen Varcoe has a perfect song-singer’s voice; not only is the tone blessed with a warmly resonant character that can carry almost any melody, but behind it is a steadiness and strength of sound and sureness of delivery that seems effortless. His upper-register singing is lovely, and he sparingly employs falsetto to delightful effect. [Classics Today – David Vernier]

Discography

T Armstrong A PASSER-BY

London Philharmonic Orchestra/Paul Daniel

Chandos

CHAN9657

C P E Bach DIE AUFERSTEHUNG UND HIMMELFAHRT
JESU

Rheinische Kantorei/H. Max

Capriccio

10 206/7

C P E Bach DIE ISRAELITEN IN DIE WÜSTE –
MOSES

Capella Coloniensis/W. Christie

Harmonia Mundi

HMA 190 231

J S Bach ASCENSION CANTATAS
Nos 11/294b, 37, 43 & 128

Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Archiv Produktion

463 583 – 2AH

J S Bach FUNERAL CANTATAS
Nos 106, 118, 198

Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Archiv Produktion

463 581– 2AH

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 4, 6, 31, 66, 134, 145

Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Soli Deo Gloria

Vol 22 SDG 128

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 108, 117, 166

Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Soli Deo Gloria

Vol 24 SDG 107

J S Bach CANTATAS

Das Kleine Konzert/Max

Carus-Verlag

Carus 63.117

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 72, 73, 111, 156

Monteverdi Choi/English Baroque Soloists/Gadiner

Archiv Produktion

463 582 – 2AH

J S Bach CANTATAS Nos 131, 152, 161

The Theatre of Early Music

ATMA Classique

ACD2 2279

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 4 & 131

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 45988-2

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 140 & 147

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Archiv

431 809-2AH

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 106, 118B, 198

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Archiv

429 782 – 2AH

J S Bach CANTATAS
Nos 212 & 211 / Mass in A, Mass in G

Basle Madrigalists/H M Linde

EMI

CZS7 67552-2

J S Bach BACH – CHORAL WORKS

Monteverdi Ch/London Oratory Ch/J E Gardiner

DEUT

469 769-2X9

J S Bach FAMOUS CHORUSES

Monteverdi Ch/Gardiner

ARCH

439 885-2AH

J S Bach MAGNIFICAT

Collegium Musicum 90/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0518

J S Bach MASS IN B MINOR

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Archiv

415 514-2AH2 / 415 514 – 4AH2

J S Bach MASS IN B MINOR

CM 90/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0533/4

J S Bach ST JOHN PASSION

Choir of King's College/Cleobury

Columns Classics

290241

J S Bach ST JOHN PASSION

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Archiv

419 324 – 2 AH2 / 419 324 – 4AH2

J S Bach ST MATTHEW PASSION

Goodwin

United

89301

Bach Family CANTATAS

Musica Antiqua Köln/Goebbel

Archiv

419 253 2

Erik Bergman CHORAL WORKS

New London Chamber Choir/J. Wood

Chandos

CHAN8478

Beethoven BEETHOVEN

Mass in C, Op 86. CM90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0703

Blow ANTHEMS
Parley of Instruments/Winchester Cathedral Choir/Hill
Hyperion

CDA 67031/2

Blow VENUS AND ADONIS –
ADONIS

London Baroque/C Medlam

Harmonia Mundi

HMA 190 1276

Boyce THE SECULAR MASQUE –
JANUS

The Hanover Band/The Choir of New College
Oxford/Graham Lea-Cox

ASV Gaudeamus

CD GAU176

Bridge SONGS

Christopher Cox

Pearl

SHE 577

Britten CANTATA MISERICORDIUM

CLS/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN8997

Britten KING ARTHUR/WORLD OF THE SPIRIT
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/Hickox
Chandos

CHAN9487

Bruckner MASS IN E MINOR

London Schutz Choir/Norrington

Decca

430 365-2

Bruckner CHORAL WORKS

St John’s College Choir/G Guest

Decca

455 035-2DF2

Geoffrey Bush 4 SONGS FROM THE HESPERIDES

CLS/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN8864

Campra MESSA DE REQUIEM

Paris Chapelle Royale/Herreweghe

Harmonia Mundi

HMC90 1251

Carissimi JONAS / JUDICIUM EXTREMUM

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 45466-2

Chabrier CHABRIER – MUSIQUE ADORABLE

F Lott/G Johnson/W Burden/G McGreevy/T
Spence/Poliphony

Hyperion

CDA67133/4

Charpentier VESPERS

Peter Seymour

No details
Croft MUSIC FOR CROFT

John Holloway

National Trust

NT 005

Delius A VILLAGE ROMEO & JULIET

Meredith Davies

No details
Fauré REQUIEM

CLS & Cambridge Singers/J. Rutter

Collegium

COLCD 109

Fauré THE COMPLETE SONGS
– VOL 1

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA 67333

Fauré THE COMPLETE SONGS
– VOL 2

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA 67334

Fauré THE COMPLETE SONGS
– VOL 3

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA 67335

Fauré THE COMPLETE SONGS
– VOL 4

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA 67336

Finzi REQUIEM DA CAMERA

CLS/Hickox

Chandos

Chan8997

Finzi SONGS CYCLES TO WORDS BY THOMAS HARDY

Clifford Benson

Hyperion

CDA 66161/2

Gibbons ANTHEMS AND VERSE ANTHEMS

Winchester Cathedral Choir/Hill

Hyperion

CDA 67116

Gibbs ARMSTRONG
GIBBS – SONGS

R Vignoles/GMcGreevy

HYPE

CDA67337

Grainger SONGS VOL 2

Penelope Thwaites

Chandos

CHAN9503

Grainger SONGS VOL 3

City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN9499

Grainger SONGS VOL 5

City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN 9554

Grainger SONGS VOL 9

City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hichox

Chandos

CHAN9653

Grainger SONGS VOL 12

John Lavender

Chandos

CHAN9730

Grainger SONGS VOL 14

Academy of St Martin's in the Fields

Chandos

CHAN9819

Graupner OVERTURES IN D & G

Das Kleine Konzert /Hermann Max

CPO

CPO999 592

Gurney THE WESTERN PLAYLAND
Song Cycle

Delmé String Quartet/I. Burnside

Hyperion

CDA 66385

Hahn SONGS

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA67141/2

Handel ALEXANDER'S FEAST – Ode for St Cecilia's
Day (exerpts)

Monteverdi Choi/Gardiner

Philips

PHIL (2) 422 053-2PH2

Handel ALESSANDRO

Petite Bande/S Kuijken

DHM

GD77110

Handel ALEXANDER'S FEAST

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Philips

422 053-2PH2

Handel L'ALLEGRO, IL PENSEROSO ED IL MODERATO

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292-45377-2

Handel DETTINGEN TE DEUM

Preston

No details
Handel ISRAEL IN EGYPT, HWV54; THE WAYS
OF ZION DO MOURN, HWV264.

Montiverdi Choir and Orchestra / English
Baroque Soloists / Gardiner

Warner Classics

2564 61757-2

Handel ISRAEL IN EGYPT

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292-45399-2

Handel ISRAEL IN EGYPT

Choir of Kings College/Brandenburg Consort/Stephen
Cleobury

Decca

452-295-2DH2

Handel JEPHTHA

Maulbronn/Budday

K & K Verlag

LC 04457

Handel JEPHTHA

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Philips

422 351-2PH3

Handel JEPHTHA

Klosterkonzerte Baroque Orchestra/Budday

K&K

LC04457

Handel PARTENOPE

Petite Bande/S. Kuijken

DHM

GD77109

Handel SOLOMON

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Philips

412 612-2PH2

Handel THE TRIUMPH OF TIME & TRUTH

London Handel Orchestra/ D. Darlow

Hyperion

CDA 66071/2

Handel/Mozart

MESSIAH

La Grande Ecurie/Malgoire

Astrée

E 8509

Haydn GREAT ORGAN MASS

Collegium Musicum 90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0674

Haydn HARMONIEMESSE

CM90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0612

Haydn L'INFEDELTA DELUSA –

NANNI

La Petite Bande/Kuijken

Harmonia Mundi

RD 77099

Haydn MASSES 1 & 11. AVE REGINA

CM90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0640

Haydn MISSA CELLENSIS

CM90/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0667

Haydn MASSES 6 & 9

CM90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0645

Haydn PAUKENMESSE

CM90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0633

Haydn SCHÖPFUNGSMESSE

CM 90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0599

Haydn THERESIENMESSE

CM 90/Richard Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0592

Holst SÁVITRI

Richard Hickox

Hyperion

CDA 66099

Homilius CANTATA

Das Kleine Konzert/Max

Capriccio

10 557

Hummel MASS NO. 2 IN E FLAT, OP. 80; TE
DEUM; QUOD IN ORBE, OP. 88

Collegium Musicum 90/ Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0712

Jeffreys A MUSICK STRANGE

UEA Singers/Peter Aston

Merlin

MRFD95802

Lalande GRAND MOTETS

New College Choir/King's Consort/E. Higginbottom

Erato

2292-45014-2

Mondonville MOTETS

London Baroque/E. Higginbottom

Hyperion

CDA 66269

Monteverdi ORFEO

London Baroque

Electrola
Mozart THE COMPLETE MOZART EDITION
Volume 22Grabmusik – cantata K42a/K35a

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra/Neville
Marriner

Philips 422 522-2PME6
Mozart WAISENHAUSMESSE IN C MINOR K139

Collegium Aureum/H. Henning

DHM

VD77 588

Musgrave THE FALL OF NARCISUS

English Serenata/V Soames Samek

Clarinet Classics

CC0039

Osborne I AM GOYA

CLS/Hickox

Unicorn

DKP 9031

Parry SONGS

Clifford Benson

Hyperion

CDA 67044

Ponchielli LA GIOCONDASINGER

National Philharmonic Orchestra/Bartoletti

Decca

414 3492DH3

Purcell ANTHEMS – O GOD, THE KING OF GLORY

Collegium Instrumentale Brugense/Peire

Eufoda

EUF1329

Purcell COMPLETE ANTHEMS & SERVICES
Volume 4

The King's Consort/Robert King

Hyperion

CDA 66644

Purcell DIDO AND AENEAS –

AENEAS

The English Concert/Pinnock

REISSUE

Archiv

427624-2AH

474 672-2

Purcell ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND

Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Erato

0630-10700-2

Purcell THE FAIRY QUEEN

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Archiv

419 221-2AH2

Purcell HAIL, BRIGHT CECILIA

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 45187-2

Purcell THE INDIAN QUEEN –

ISMERON

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 45556-2

Purcell KING ARTHUR

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Eratoef

2292 45211-2

Purcell THE TEMPESTISMERON

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 4555-2

Purcell TIMON OF ATHENS

Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner

Erato

2292 45327-2

Purcell PURCELL – OPERA AND CHORAL WORKS

Eng Concert/Hamburg Monteverdi Ch/EBS/Christchurch
Cath Ch/C Mackerras/J E Gardiner/S Preston

DEUT

439 474-2GCL

Purcell THE PURCELL COLLECTION

J E Gardiner

ERAT

4509-96371-2

Purcell MUSIC FOR QUEEN MARY etc

Various Artist/Monteverdi Choir/J E Gardiner

TELD

8573 88044-2

Rameau LES BORÉADES –
APOLLO

Monteverdi/Gardiner

Erato
Rameau MOTETS

Paris Chapelle Royale Orchestra/Herreweghe

Harmonia Mundi

HMC90 1078

Rubbra ADVENT CANTATA & 4 MEDIEVAL LATIN
LYRICS

CLS/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN9847

Rutter CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING

CLS/Rutter

Collegium

COLCD 121

Scarlatti DIXIT DOMINUS 11

The English Concert/Pinnock

Archiv

423 386-2AH

Schoenberg SERENADE Op. 24

The 20th Century Classics Ensemble/Craft

Koch

37263-2

Schubert COMPLETE LIEDER

Volume 2

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDJ 33032

Schubert SCHUBERT EDITION SAMPLER

Various Artists

HYPE

HYP200

Schubert LIEDER VOL 32

Johnson

Hyperion

CDJ 33032

Schubert LIEDER, VOL. 33

London Schubert Chorale/Layton

Hyperion

CDJ 33033

Schütz SYMPHONIAE SACRAE

Purcell Quartet/Richard Boothby

Chandos

CHAN0566/7

Stanford BIBLE SONGS

Ian Watson

Chandos/ T

CHAN9548

Stanford STABAT MATER

BBC Phil/Hickox

Chandos/T

CHAN9548

Stanford SONGS VOL. 1

Clifford Benson – Piano

Hyperion

CDA 67123

Stanford SONGS VOL. 2

Clifford Benson – Piano

Hyperion

CDA 67124

R Strauss DEUTSCHE MOTETTE

London Schutz Choir/Norrington

Decca

430 365-2DM

Stravinsky ABRAHAM & ISAAC

The Orchestra of St. Luke’s/Robert
Craft

Music Masters

01612-67158-2

Tavener BEYOND THE VEIL NVC Arts

39842391-3

Tavener MARY OF EGYPT –
ZOSSIMA

Aldeburgh Festival Ensemble/Lionel Friend

Collins

7023-2

Telemann CHORAL MUSIC

Kleine Konzert/H. Max

Capriccio

10 315

Telemann DIE TAGESZEITEN

Das Kleine Konzert/Max

Capriccio

10 319

J Theile ST MATTHEW PASSION

London Baroque/Charles Medlam

Harmonia Mundi

HMA90 1159

Thwaites RIDE, RIDE No details
Vaughan Williams SIR JOHN IN LOVE

Meredith Davies

No details
Vaughan Williams SIR JOHN IN LOVE

Northern Sinfonia/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN9928(2).

Weckmann SACRED CONCERTOS

Purcell Quartet

Chandos

CHAN0646

SS Wesley ANTHEMS

York Cathedral Choir/Moore

Guild

GMCD 7201

Vivaldi GLORIA

Collegium Musicum 90/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN0518

Vivaldi VESPERS

La Grande Ecurie/Malgoire

Astrée

E 8520

Various

CLASSIC SEASONS-WINTER

Various Artists

HMV

HMVS 74244-2

Various ENGLISH ORCHESTRAL SONGS:


If there were Dreams to Sell

City of London Sinfonia/Hickox

Chandos

CHAN 8743

Various HARK! HARK!
THE LARK

Music for Shakespeare’s Company

The Parley of Instruments/Peter Holman

Hyperion

CDA 66836

Various LA PROCESSION:
Eighty Years of French Song

Graham Johnson

Hyperion

CDA 66248

Various WAR'S EMBERS: Songs by Browne,
Butterworth,

Farrar, Finzi, Gurney, Kelly

Clifford Benson

Hyperion

CDA 66261/2

Various RUTTER – CAROLS FROM CLARE

Cambridge Clare College Choir/Rutter

HMV

HMV572340-2

Various CAROLS FROM KINGS

King's College Choir/D Willcocks

HMV

HMV572341-2

Various HISTORY OF BAROQUE MUSIC – SECULAR
MUSIC

Various Artists

HARM

HMX22958001/5

Various OPERA BAROQUE – HIGHLIGHTS

Concerto Vocale/Réné Jacobs

Harmonia Mundi

HMX290 605/7

Various RELAX WITH BAROQUE

Various Artists

ERAT

8753-81631-2

Various MUSIC OF THE CHAPELS ROYAL

Monteverdi Ch/EBS/J E Gardiner

ERAT

0927443522

Various OLDE ENGLISH MADRIGALS

Cambridge Singers/Rutter

American Grammaphone

AG 500.

Various CAROLS FROM KING'S

King's College Choir/Willcocks

EMI

CDM 7631792

Various THE VERSATILITY OF THE SCHOLARS

The Scholars

Unicorn

UNS 254

March 2007

Press Quotes

Concerts

“serene baritone” (St Matthew Passion, Brooklyn Academy of Music) – New York Times

“le baryton Stephen Varcoe s’est toutefois attire ma sympathie, ne serait-ce que parce qu’il était le seul a chanter de mémoire. Sa voix, tellement souple, pouvait parfois acquérir une incroyable légèreté.” (Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Les Violons du Roy) – Le Soleil, Québec

“It was Stephen Varcoe’s impressive-sounding bass-baritone that really stood out among the rest.” (Bach’s St Matthew Passion, NZ Chamber Orchestra)– New Zealand Herald

“Varcoe’s singing as Apollo was brave and touching.” (Handel’s Apollo and Daphne, St Paul Chamber Orchestra) – St Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota

“Best of all was Stephen Varcoe’s hell-and-fire Pluto, who sang as if he meant every word, without deviating from impeccable period manners.” (Peri’s Euridice, Drottningholm) – Opera

“Varcoe demonstrated a fine sensitivity for the shape of the songs, and his superbly expressive voice, tuned to every nuance of so many rich numbers, projected strongly into every corner of St Johns.” (Percy Grainger Recital, St Johns, Smith Square) – British Music Society News

‘Stephen Varcoe – surely one of this country’s finest executants of English song’ – Jeremy Dibble (from his biography of Stanford)

Teaching

A few years ago, Stephen was invited to become a professor at the Royal College of Music in London, where he now leads classes in Performance Technique and in English Song, as well as individual coaching, and is becoming well known for his inspiring lectures and masterclasses. He has given series of seminars at the University of York on Performance, teaches at the Summer Schools in Dartington and Hereford, and gives masterclasses at festivals, colleges and schools around the country. Earlier this year he travelled to Vancouver for a week of English Song classes, and he has just returned from Jerusalem where he was involved in giving a week of Baroque music classes.

Singing Workshops with Stephen Varcoe at Ansells Farm

As an extension of Stephen’s teaching practice, he now runs a series of song workshops at his house in Essex. In a relaxed, informal setting he brings together his own mission to introduce every singer to the joys of the song repertoire and his flair for encouraging inexperienced or less confident solo singers. In recent months workshops have covered such topics as English & American Song, Schumann and Brahms, La France Profonde, Celebrating Mozart and Schubert, Wolf & Brahms. The group (a maximum of eight participants) is drawn from students of singing, enthusiastic amateurs, choral singers, teachers or semi-professionals, of all ages and abilities. The only qualifications necessary are a love of song and an enthusiasm for sharing ideas and interpretations in a friendly, positive atmosphere.

We have been running our very successful Song Days here for several years now, and underpinning the whole venture is the fact that Stephen is a world-famous baritone, whose expertise and experience in the field of song is second to none – he has made over 150 recordings, and is widely acknowledged to be one of the foremost recitalists of the age.

Forthcoming Workshops include :-

  • April 12 2008 German Lieder
  • June 8 2008 Special day for Essex University Choir
  • Future dates are still to be decided, but will be posted in due course.

    If you are interested in taking part in the workshops, would like more information, or if you would like us to add you to the mailing list for future classes, please contact us: stephen@varcoe.com or 01787 269570

    The Song Day begins at 10 am, and ends at 5 pm or later, with breaks for coffee, tea and homemade cakes; at lunchtime everyone enjoys a two-course meal (with wine) prepared by Melinda – this is all included in the price. The winning combination of stimulating teaching and learning, delicious food and glorious music in a beautiful rural setting seems to work miracles! Each performer gets at least two chances to sing, (perhaps more, depending on numbers and time), and during the course of the day people invariably make new friends, catch up with old ones, find fresh inspiration and gain greater confidence to explore repertoire which might have been unfamiliar or daunting.

    An experienced accompanist is provided, or singers may bring their own for an extra charge (£25). The cost is £95, with a deposit of £20 payable in advance (non-returnable unless the organisers have to cancel).

    Here are a few comments taken either from our guestbook for the days, or from an article in Classical Music magazine in 2004 about the classes:-

    “Above all, it was Stephen’s relaxed, engaging manner and good humour, coupled with a passion for sharing his skills and knowledge, that sent me away on a high, buzzing with new ideas.”

    “A thousand thanks for a magnificent day of musical joy and instruction”

    “…a wonderful day of Kunst and Genüss!”

    “The atmosphere was as relaxed as it could possibly be in a performance context…the transformation of one absolute beginner in particular was inspiring.”

    “Absolutely wonderful – and so is the food and drink!”

    “Comments can be expressed more directly than in a larger setting, and it’s easier for individual singers to get feedback over things that concern them.”

    “ I’ve learnt more about song in these classes with Stephen than in all the previous thirty years.”

    “The consistency of the chocolate brownies merits special mention!”…

    Recitals & Lectures

    Stephen is well known for the imaginative nature of his recitals, and he has often been called upon to create programmes for special occasions or with specific themes in mind. As a regular performer with Graham Johnson’s Songmakers Almanac, he saw at first hand how the traditional form of the song recital could be greatly enhanced and even superseded by giving it a thematic focus.

    When a concert promoter asks for a programme, it is often part of a celebration of some kind, in which case the subject-matter is already defined. Recent commemorations have been the Mozart bicentenary, the Schumann sesquicentenary and the fiftieth anniversary of Finzi’s death, for all of which Stephen has created special programmes. For example, the Mozart included works by his son, Franz Xaver, and his British friends and colleagues, Linley, Attwood and Storace.

    A programme for a symposium on Stanford included works by his friends and his pupils, offering scope for a wide variety of musical styles. Another on music in nineteenth century Britain not only explored little-known works by Wesley, Pinto, Sterndale Bennett and other English composers, but included works in English by foreign composers such as Mendelssohn and Gounod. Yet another was created to complement an exhibition of the work of Picabia, the Dadaist painter. This included the music of Durey, Debussy, Ravel, Satie and Poulenc.

    At the Royal College of Music on March 12th 2008 he helped devise a student programme for the celebration of the work of Sir William Sterndale Bennett. The songs presented were examples of the English Romantic school interspersed with the great German Romantics, Schumann and Mendelssohn.

    One of the features of Stephen’s recitals is the relaxed and informal quality of his presentation, which always involves spoken introductions, and often includes readings of poetry or prose-extracts. A particularly powerful example is his programme of songs and poems written during wartime. For the Thomas Hardy Society he has now created three different programmes based on Hardy’s writings, involving the poetry, the music which he knew and the music which his poetry has inspired. Similarly, for celebrations of the life of A E Housman he devised a sequence of songs and readings from A Shropshire Lad. For the Peter Warlock Society he has given a lecture recital on the life of the composer, illustrated by his songs.

    Apart from concerts involving the modern piano, Stephen has worked for many years with Peter Seymour on the fortepiano, and together they have explored the early Lieder repertoire of Zelter, Reichardt and Zumsteeg, and given many performances of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise. One of their recurring themes is the development of the Lied from its early beginnings to the works of Schubert and Schumann, and they have devised programmes of comparative settings of Goethe, of ballad settings, and of dialogue songs.

    Stephen

    STEPHEN VARCOE is one of Britain’s most distinguished baritones, especially acclaimed in the field of Baroque music and in the song repertoire. He has made about 150 recordings, collaborating with John Eliot Gardiner for Philips, Erato and DG Archiv on discs of Purcell, Handel and Bach, and has joined Richard Hickox for numerous releases of Haydn, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Grainger and Britten on Chandos. His musically fruitful relationship with Hyperion Records has produced many fine recital discs, from the romantic and sensuous French songs of Hahn, Chabrier and Fauré with Graham Johnson to the quintessentially English Finzi, Gurney, Parry, Stanford and Armstrong Gibbs with Clifford Benson and Roger Vignoles. With Graham Johnson, Stephen was the second artist after Dame Janet Baker to be invited to interpret Schubert for the celebrated complete Hyperion series. His versatility also encompasses recordings of twentieth century works by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Nigel Osborne, Thea Musgrave and John Tavener.

    On the concert platform, in a career spanning more than three decades, Stephen has appeared with orchestras all over the world. Highlights include Stravinsky’s Abraham and Isaac in New York with Robert Craft, Stravinsky’s Threni in London with Rozhdestvensky, Holst’s Savitri in Amsterdam with Hickox, C P E Bach’s Die Israeliten in der Wüste in Cologne with Christie, Bach’s Mass in B Minor in Italy with Rifkin, Haydn’s Creation in Lisbon with Brüggen, Handel’s Apollo and Daphne in Versailles with Minkowski, the centenary performance of Fauré’s Requiem in Paris with Tortelier, and the fortieth anniversary performance of Britten’s War Requiem in Coventry with Cleobury. He has regularly taken part in the BBC Proms and international festivals, and appeared in recital with some of our finest accompanists, particularly Graham Johnson, Iain Burnside, Julius Drake and Roger Vignoles.

    His operatic appearances include Haydn’s L’Infedelta Delusa in Antwerp with Kuijken, Debussy’s Fall Of The House Of Usher in Lisbon and London, Tavener’s Mary Of Egypt in Snape, Rameau’s Les Boréades in Aix and Lyon with John Eliot Gardiner, Peri’s Euridice for Drottningholm, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo in Japan. His repertoire also includes Death in Holst’s Savitri, Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Salieri in Rimsky Korsakov’s Mozart & Salieri. In 2006 he was heard in a BBC broadcast of Malcolm Arnold’s hitherto unperformed opera The Dancing Master. Stephen was in the original cast for Jonathan Miller’s ground-breaking staging of Bach’s St Matthew Passion and its subsequent television production, and revivals in the USA.