Only the Wanderer Knows
Mattijs van de Woerd, baritone / Shuann Chai, piano

In this concert, a number of unusual elements are added to the traditional recital set-up of singer-cum-pianist: spoken word, solo piano music, a modest extension of the instruments (garden stones for percussive sounds and a toy piano) and elements of movement, leading to a wider than customary use of the concert stage. In René Samson’s ambitious musical fantasy all these elements come together. This piece is the apotheosis of a programme which further consists of music by Schubert, Schumann, Duparc, Ivor Gurney and English composers who were contemporaries of Gurney. In short: although seemingly a conventional lieder recital concert, this programme contains some powerful enhancements and presents moreover a new piece in which the art song is effectively broadened in scope.

This programme explores the interface between a landscape and the mood of the person walking through it. The interaction of these two entities serves as the central theme of Walking into Clarity, and is intimately related to the persona of Ivor Gurney. The song repertoire is full of vagabonds, horsemen, and crusaders who cross our mind's eye, but the idea’s boundlessness is also illustrated by planets, depicted as wanderers through a galactic landscape. The moods of all these passers-by range from carefree to desolate, from expectant to nostalgic.

Another compelling aspect of the programme is its historical relevance, as 2014 marks the centenary of the start of the Great War. Gurney's personal history was strongly marked by World War I: he was drafted into the 2nd/5th Gloucester Regiment in 1915 and was wounded twice in the Flemish trenches. He survived, but his mental health, already vulnerable, was irreparably damaged. In 1922 he was involuntarily committed to a mental institution where he remained until his death in 1937. Throughout his asylum years Gurney continued to write music and poetry as well as a large body of exceptional and heart-rending correspondence, selections of which are quoted by Samson in "Walking into Clarity".

From start to finish, the programme leads the listener on a musical journey from the dawn of Art Song to the present day, from Schubert to Samson. To close the cycle, Samson’s piece frequently quotes the great masters of centuries past (Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, but also J.S. Bach and Dutch composer Ton de Leeuw). By way of musical side road, a selection of English songs is included that follow the main line of the programme, and whose composers all had a personal relation of sorts with Ivor Gurney, be it as colleague, teacher or close friend.

Traditional song recitals can at times seem somewhat formalistic (singer in the curve of the grand piano does his or her thing while aided by subservient pianist; audience is obediently immersed in printed song texts and dutifully applauds when appropriate). As such, no great harm can come from infusing this hallowed tradition with a little bit of freedom. The unique selling point of this programme, then, is the balance that it strikes between conventional recital and innovative musical happening, which serves to make the concert fully accessible to a modern audience.

© 2013 René Samson