Review by Simon Jenner, August 13 2025
The Trio Cavatina are a well-loved Brighton-based trio who formed in 2019 with their first concert at St Pancras London. Carol-Anne Grainger’s soprano is a light instrument moving from Purcell to Poulenc and Weill. Carole Mounter reads both poems and song translations, which is particularly helpful. And revelatory, since many of these poems are both atypical and contemporary, and not well-own ones but extremely fine.
Andrew Charity makes a marvel of early piano sounds in the first part of the recital (if not harpsichord) and later delays increasing romantic theft. With a light louche slide for the last composers.
Grainger’s voice for Purcell is able to encompass ‘Man is for the woman made’ with a delightful faux braggadocio for this rather male song. Her ‘Music for a while’ runs natural melismas and winding minors to its miraculous close.
Munter intersperses with warm renditions of Shakespeare’s ‘If music..’ and later a reading from Louis de Bernieres ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’. This in between Grainger renders Handel’s ‘Bel Piacere’ from his early Italian opera Agrippina from 1709; and ‘Lascia ch’o pianga’ which first appeared in Italy and then famously in his 1711 London debut opera Rinaldo. Both exquisite.
Grainger’s delightfully galant Mozart French song: ‘Dans un bois solitaire’ K308/295b from 1777-78 is less well known than sone opera arias and preludes The Marriage of Figaro’s ‘Un moto di giola’ far better-known.
Schumann surrounds a reading of ‘the beauty of Union’s by George the Poet on his 2021 marriage .it’s an affecting piece written on the poet’s marriage
Schumann ‘Wildung’ has a disturbance and longing that might almost be answered in ‘Die Lotusblume’ dispatched with the right affect by Grainger.
Poulenc’s ‘Les Chemins de l’amour’ seems to release something in soprano and pianist. The equivocal brightness of this song is a Gallic league from the shades provisional joys of Schumann.. There’s the right swing and light touch here too.
Joseph Canteloube follows, 20 years older than Poulenc. Preluded by Munter with a witty translation basically in the text of Flanders and Swann’s ‘Have some Madeira m’dear’ though the song sees already let’s say joyfully post-coital and not in the least cot. Grainger again rises to the sheer license and whoop of this.
Kurt Weill (1900-50) is only slightly younger than Poulenc and died quite young. The first songs hails from his American period, as does the second. ‘Poor Jenny’ was written under duress as they need an extra dog for Lady in the Dark of 1941. It proves of course the showstopper about Poor Jenny who would make up her mind. Mostly sexually determined this is witty (if sexist) and Grainger exploits the sprach element more than usual and it’s a riot. A stand-out.
Before we finish with earlier Weill Munter reads two also rather poets. Edwin Morgan’s (1920-2012) ‘Strawberries’ from late on, in 2004, is delicious. Famous as a makar he’s celebrated in Scotland. Blake Morrison’s ‘Against Dieting’ is a very wink to Fleur Adcock’s 1971 ‘Against Coupling’ and is too lightly sexual and witty
Weill’s ‘My Ship’ (also from Lady in the Dark) is a delight of sly daydream. No ‘Pirate Jenny’ here but a warm affirmative Broadway standard full of a sunlight lyrics not often found in Weill. It’s a soaring finale Grainger snatches with sheer elan and warmth.
Some find the micing difficult, though in my side-seat it presented no problems.
A refreshing recital, full of slant sun in uncertain weather. Which sounds like a shipping forecast.
Carol-Anne Grainger (soprano), Andrew Charity (piano) and
Carol Mounter (spoken word)
Man is for a woman made Purcell
READING: If music be the food of love Shakespeare
Music for a while Purcell
Bel Piacere Handel
READING: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Louise de Bernieres
Lascia ch’o pianga Handel
Dans un bois solitaire Mozart
Un moto di gioia Mozart
Widmung Schumann
READING: The beauty of union George the Poet
Die Lotusblume Schumann
Les Chemins de l’amour Poulenc
L’eau de source Canteloube
Saga of Jenny Weil
READING: Strawberries Edwin Morgan
READING: Against Dieting Blake Morrison
My Ship Weill
