Paul Carey Jones

"Entitled 'Enaid' (Songs of the Soul), the CD presents 17 songs performed by the Welsh baritone Paul Carey Jones and his pianist compatriot Llyr Williams. Somehow, I have not encountered Carey Jones before but having listened to this recital I shall look out for him. His voice is well focused and easily produced, with a free and full upper range; not having heard him 'live' I cannot know its size. From these songs one can deduce that he has a strong dramatic sense, particularly noticeable, for example, in Mervyn Burtch's Ozymandias, a powerful piece of declamation to stark chords from the piano, and in the same composer's When Satan Fell and Meirion Williams' Y Môr Enaid (The Sea Spirit), in which the third stanza, of the old woman rocking to and fro, is especially convincing.

"Variety is found in colour, word-painting, intensity. Finzi's The Clock of the Years finds Carey Jones conveying the drama with subtly contrasting hues. For a straightforward outpouring of rich golden tone listen to Schubert's Pax Vobiscum, D551, in which the contours of the tune are closely embraced. In that song and Brahms's Auf dem Kirchhofe (Op. 105 No. 4), one is aware of a good legato, which occasionally becomes disconnected in English lyrics. I should have liked the words 'under a' elided (though not with exaggerated 'r') in The Frostbound Wood by Warlock, but that is nit-picking.

"Playing an important part and contributing much to my pleasure is Llyr Williams, one of Britain's finest young pianists, whether soloist or accompanist. He brings power to the serious songs like John Morgan Lloyd's Saint Govan and Mansel Thomas' The Bard, yet is light of tough in Schubert's Der Schiffer and Lisa Lehmann's Myself When Young."

"This CD brings together one of the foremost young pianists of his generation with a young baritone making his recording debut. In fact it’s a musical alliance of some ten years standing, since they enrolled for study at the Royal Academy of Music at the same time, and have given numerous concerts together.

"It’s quite clear that this is not one of those recordings where performers have got together on the day and worked their way quickly through repertoire chosen for them by others. It is a true collaborative venture, the result of a week of sessions in which they 'approached the pieces with open minds' aiming at a 'spirit of adventurous dialogue'.

"The result is a sequence of particularly interesting and thought provoking texts, which link together very neatly. The musical settings range from “classic” lieder by Schubert and Brahms, to contemporary songs by Mervyn Burtch, with British and Welsh 20th century composers being well represented along the way.

"Paul Carey Jones has the sort of voice I could listen to all day, and his diction and timing are exemplary. Llyr Williams clearly demonstrates why he is fast becoming one of our most sought-after accompanists. Together they give each song full regard, balancing words and music in performances of character, depth and great sincerity."

ENAID - Songs of the Soul