The British soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn, who famously played Bess in “Porgy and Bess” at the Metropolitan Opera, makes her American recital debut in Union College in Schenectady on Sunday afternoon April 2. Her program of songs will show the results of a lifetime of singing and also a considerable amount of library research uncovering some of the repertoire. The concert, a presentation of Capital Region Classical, highlights the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black composer who lived and worked in great Britain during the Victorian era and into the first decade of the 20th century. Llewellyn will open each half of the program with some of his songs before moving to selections by Puccini, R. Strauss and Verdi.
Coleridge-Taylor isn’t a household name but he’s not exactly an unknown either. He was respected and performed during his time and he’s the subject of at least two published biographies. When he toured the United States he was greeted, as we might say today, like a rock star.
Classical music’s recent embrace of Black composers is bringing new prominence to Coleridge-Taylor’s music and Llewellyn’s work as singer and scholar is contributing to that revival. Her first tip about him came from pianist Simon Lepper, who accompanies her in Schenectady. She went looking for his songs which are said to number more than 100, but alas there was no easy access Coleridge-Taylor songbook to be found.
“The sleuthing is something you jump into when you’ve got a project like this that needs to be done. I am a nerd by nature, ever since I was a child. I love history and digging into things while sitting in a library,” says Llewellyn, speaking from her home in London. Prior to becoming a professional singer, she worked in travel and took great satisfaction in researching and designing tours for groups that had special interests such as art,…
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