(Arthur Bliss)
Mary Hamlin (soprano)
The BBC Midland Singers
Chorus Master, Edgar Morgan
The BBC Midland Orchestra
Led by Ernest Element
Conducted by Eric Warr
There is a short orchestral introduction to Bliss's ' Pastoral ', beginning dreamily and leading to the vigorous mood of the first number, ' The Shepherd's Holyday ', to a poem of Ben Jonson. It is followed by ' A Hymn to Pan ', whose words are by John Fletcher. The voices sing this with great vigour and energy until, at the very end, they breathe the name of Pan himself softly as if in a hush of awe. This leads into ' Pan's Saraband', an innocent little pastoral interlude for solo flute and orchestra.
The next number is ' Pan and Echo', whose words are by Poliziano, translated by E. Geoffrey
Dunlop. Tenor and bass in turn sing Pan's message, joining emphatically towards the end, while women's voices are the echo, changing the words with pathetic effect. It is rounded off by a brief return of Pan's Saraband. ' The Naiads' Music', with words by Robert Nichols , is a delicate piece mainly for women's voices, the men breaking in as fauns.
The next number is the one solo part in the Pastoral. Its text also is by Robert Nichols : The Pigeon Song'. It is a duet for flute and mezzo-soprano voice.
' The Song of the Reapers', to
Andrew Lang 's translation of Theocritus, is a vigorous hymn to Demeter. The last movement begins with an orchestral Prelude to a text from Fletcher which is not sung. It leads into ' The Shepherd's Night-Song '.