In this second recording dedicated to the songs of celebrated Canadian composer Derek Holman, Canadian Art Song Project has partnered with the Aldeburgh Connection to highlight works that emerged from relationships nurtured for decades between Holman and pianists Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata and tenor Colin Ainsworth.
Stephen and Bruce founded the Aldeburgh Connection in 1982 to present Canadian artists in concerts of recital repertoire. Over the next thirty years, they commissioned and performed in their concerts a significant number of works by Derek Holman.
A Play of Passion highlights a group of Holman’s songs written specifically for Colin Ainsworth, an artist well known for his dedication to song and recital repertoire: A Lasting Spring (2004), The Death of Orpheus (2005), and A Play of Passion (2012). In addition, Bruce and Stephen are featured together in the Variations on a Melody by Doctor Arne (1999) for two pianos.
Canadian Art Song Project’s mission is to build on the rich legacy of Canadian song. It engages composers, writers, and performers to share and celebrate their experiences through the creation of new music and provides opportunities for Canadian artists to program and advocate for the wealth of beauty in the existing song literature. canadianartsongproject.ca.
