James Newby has carved out a reputation as one of the outstanding recitalists of the new generation. Recent performances have seen him appear at Wigmore Hall with Mitsuko Uchida, Sir Stephen Hough and, with his regular partner Joseph Middleton, at the Barbican, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Baden-Baden and Cologne Philharmonie. Based on their award-winning CD I wonder as I wander, they examine humans’ eternal search, geographical and psychological, for a distant object of desire. Newby sings of the restlessness of Schubert’s eternal wanderer, Mahler’s depiction of war-driven desperation and Beethoven’s yearning to be elsewhere. Commissioned especially for Newby and Middleton, Judith Bingham’s ‘Casanova in Lockdown’ is based on the witty text of Giacomo Casanova’s ‘Histoire de ma Vie’, as he longs for company and freedom whilst imprisoned. This new work draws on our experiences of the past few years and compliments a thoughtful programme that navigates feelings of restlessness, longing, wonder, isolation and reconciliation.
James Newby baritone
Joseph Middleton piano
There is a pre-concert talk with Dr George Kennaway for the performance at 6:30pm. Book HERE.
