Janet Baker (mez), John Shirley-Quirk (ba); Steuart Bedford (piano)
ICA Classics ICAC5076
Captured at the peak of their prime in a warm, clear BBC recording, Baker and Shirley-Quirk manage both to capture the essence of every one of these extraordinary miniatures and mould a dramatic cycle that grips the listener from start to finish. Much of the credit lies in the sequence devised especially for this Aldeburgh Festival performance by Steuart Bedford He needn't fear comparison with any other pianist in what is sometimes a fearsomely difficult keyboard part, and deserves better then than an insultingly smaller font on the credits.
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