The Harmonious Echo is the second double album of Arthur Sullivan songs by the quartet of Mary Bevan, Kitty Whately, Ben Johnson, and Ashley Riches, suggesting just how neglected this aspect of Sullivan's output has been. The first volume, released in 2017 and simply entitled Sir Arthur Sullivan: Songs, has greater variety, with a number of different song types, including some settings in foreign languages, and those interested in the "serious" Sullivan of the Symphony in E minor ("Irish") and the opera Ivanhoe might check ...
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The Harmonious Echo is the second double album of Arthur Sullivan songs by the quartet of Mary Bevan, Kitty Whately, Ben Johnson, and Ashley Riches, suggesting just how neglected this aspect of Sullivan's output has been. The first volume, released in 2017 and simply entitled Sir Arthur Sullivan: Songs, has greater variety, with a number of different song types, including some settings in foreign languages, and those interested in the "serious" Sullivan of the Symphony in E minor ("Irish") and the opera Ivanhoe might check out that album as well. However, this release answers in the affirmative the question that will be on the mind of every fan of the Savoy operettas, namely, "Does it sound like Gilbert & Sullivan?" The composer's language here is that of Mendelssohn's songs, with clear strophic or ternary forms, limpid harmonies, and a pleasant sentimentality. Indeed, although most of these songs date from before Sullivan's collaboration with W.S. Gilbert, several do not (there are a few settings of...
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