My final recital of the Summer was held at St George The Martyr Church in Preston on the 19th September. My parents were taking me up to Glasgow after the recital and I was so happy that they would be there to watch me perform. The day started well, we had packed the car so tightly with all my essentials and with just enough room to squeeze me on the back seat we set off to Preston. It was a warm sunny day and the time passed quickly, when we arrived in the town my Dad parked in the shopping centre and we all set off to find the church.

We came out on the wrong side of the shopping centre and it took a little time to find the church but when we arrived Edmund Crighton was there to welcome us and I got down to my warm ups and rehearsals with Russell Lomas. I performed alongside Elizabeth Lawton a flautist and we so enjoyed performing there as the audience was so receptive.
After the recital Glasgow beckoned and so we jumped back in the car and headed north to Scotland, still part of the United Kingdom after the vote, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the start of my third year there 🙂
Here is one of the songs that I performed in my recital, “Love’s Philosophy” by Roger Quilter and I do hope that you enjoy it.
This beautiful song was inspired by the lyrics from a poem by Percy Shelly which I believe tries to remind us that harmony and love are all around 🙂
The fountains mingle with the River
And the Rivers with the Ocean,
The winds of Heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another’s being mingle.
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?
Wonderful. 🙂
Thank you, how is the Paul McKenna going so far?
Best wishes
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte. So far – not bad at all. See my blog article of today for details. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thank you 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
It’s great to ear you Charlotte ! marvellous !Thank you !
I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Beautiful. Nice HD video as well.
My Dad did the videoing this time. Thanks John.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Tell him well done.
You have such a beautiful, light, and resonant voice! I love that song – it brought back college voice memories….
I’m happy it brought back college memories for you
Best wishes
Charlotte
Very pleasant song, well sung and played! The acoustics seem good there, as in so many of that style of church.
Thank you, I sometimes sing this faster, sometimes slower it depends on my mood. I like to keep it alive in my repertoire though and I hadn’t sung it for a while.
Best wishes
Charlotte
beautiful and classic! such a joy to have these video presentations so everyone can celebrate your most precious talent! BRAVA!
Thanks Annette, they’re good for me to look back on and see what I need to work on.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Lovely. Hope the journey went well. Good luck for your 3rd year. 🙂
It was a great journey thank you, I snoozed in the back and the stop in Preston really breaks the four hour journey.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Very nice!
Thank you 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Do you pick the songs you sing at recitals?
Sometimes I pick the program myself, sometimes I send a list of songs to choose from and several are chosen and sometimes I learn songs that are suggested e.g. The Flute Invisible as Elizabeth was also in the program several times this summer. Do you have any suggestions for me to look at, maybe in French?
Best wishes
Charlotte
What an honor! Thank you for asking me for French song suggestions! I know of a few: “Printemps qui commence” from the opera Samson et Delilah by Saint-Saëns, “La Vie en Rose” by Edith Piaf, Sous le Ciel de Paris by Yves Montand, and A Paris by Francis Lemarque. Let me know if you like any of them!
Bonne chance!
BT
Incredible, what a beautiful day it must have been! Congratulations 🙂
I love performing so these opportunities are great.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I’ve stated this before, but I like the personality you tie into the lyrics. It makes the performance that much better.
Thanks Eric I’m working on it 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
I love classical songs
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Thanks Yoshiko, I love them too 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Best wishes too 🙂
Lovely!
Thank you have a lovely week yourself 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thank you for sharing your beautiful voice with us! Congrats on your concert. It was, I am sure, a great success! Xo
I enjoy these lunch time recitals, my Mum had a lovely conversation with a lady who doesn’t like to go out to evening concerts and go home in the dark to an empty house so these are a treat and I like to make them special.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You have a wonderful voice.
Thank you Dennis 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Wonderful and really difficult to sing those words. Italian and French are much easier.
I agree! I did half a program of English songs they are very challenging, I hear old judges comments from festivals when I reintroduce old rep in with the new.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Beautifully sung, Charlotte. I love Roger Quilter’s songs. I once sang an unpublished song of his that belonged to a friend of his who has since died. It was a ‘Christmas Carol’ with words by Rodney Bennett. I have no idea if the song has been published since my friend died or whether her family recognised it as something special or just got rid of it. It was very lovely.
Lovely message Clare, I love singing new and unpublished compositions you can really make them your own. What a thought though that it may have been disposed of.
Best wishes
Charlotte
It’s certainly not a good thought.
Clare.
Good job Charlotte, keep it up, you made it, God bless.
Thanks Marybeth 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
You have a lovely voice!
Thank you, I practice lots 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Lovely melody and beautiful lyrics. You gave a beautiful rendition, Charlotte. 🙂 Yes, harmony and love should be shared around … 🙂 Best wishes. Iris.
Perhaps they should put this music on loud speakers where people are very angry 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Appealing voice, blog and lovely young woman, as I believe most people who see/hear/read would agree.
Thank you for your lovely message.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thanks for sharing the song lyrics. A lovely approach to persuasion…
Yes it is, the poem is beautiful. I like to read it aloud as well as sing it.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Lovely song and performance, Charlotte. All the best for your third year term! On another note (no pun intended 😉 ) The 2015 Honens International Piano Competition in our city has just begun to accept applications. Just thought if in case you come across anyone interested you could send them the info. Here’s the link.
Thanks Arti, the pianists here enter lots of competitions I’ll pass the information on.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Aawww that’s a Lovely blog Charlotte. We all miss your sunny happy self here and can’t wait to see you again. Xxx
Thanks Gill, I’ve been so busy since I got back, see you November.
Best wishes
Charlotte
So beautiful! xx
Thank you Elizabeth 😌.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Beautifully done! Many thanks. Shelley (Ariel)
Great voice, Charlotte! Congratulations.