Described as ‘our greatest living baritone’ (Daily Telegraph) with a ‘noble warmth’ (The Independent), Roderick Williams has given many memorable recitals at the Festival, not least his trilogy of Schubert cycles last year, also with renowned pianist Christopher Glynn.

For this concert, they present a wide range of settings of Thomas Hardy. Although known to many primarily as a novelist, Hardy viewed himself a poet first and foremost and inspired many composers, including Britten, Holst, Ireland, Bax, Venables, and Vaughan Williams. His poetry is constantly concerned with the passing of time and infused with the sights and sounds of nature, and thus sits perfectly both in our overall Festival theme and alongside today’s ‘Solace in Nature’ event.

Hardy is arguably most closely associated in song with Gerald Finzi, and this evening’s programme includes a complete performance of Finzi’s great cycle Before and After Summer, the manuscript of which resides near the Holywell Music Room in the Bodleian Library.

EMERGING ARTIST: Rowan Pierce
The exceptional young soprano Rowan Pierce, who sang some glorious Purcell for us last year in the Ashmolean Museum, will begin this evening’s concert with a short set of Schubert songs. Every evening recital this year will begin with Schubert songs performed by singers who have arguably been hardest hit by the current crisis: artists who are already forging careers but not yet at a stage where they can view current circumstances as a temporary setback.

ARTIST Q&A
After a short break at the end of the concert, there will be a Q&A with the artists. Please email any questions you have during the interval or at the end of the concert (songconnections@oxfordlieder.co.uk) or post them on social media (#OLF2020), and the artists will answer as many as time allows.

This concert will be streamed completely live from the Holywell Music Room. Shortly afterwards, it will also be available to watch again (using the same ticket and link) until 1 November 2020.