Christopher Maltman: The Painter's Work

Three groups of songs in this wonderful programme link closely to specific artists. Poulenc’s 1957 song cycle Le Travail du peintre (‘The painter’s work’) is a series of homages to artists including Picasso, Chagall and Klee, setting poems by the composer’s friend Paul Éluard. Hugo Wolf’s three settings of texts by the poet and sculptor Michelangelo are among the composer’s masterpieces, austere but profound. And Schumann’s ‘Six Poems from the Songbook of a Painter’ set texts by the poet-artist Robert Reinick. Also included are a group of Verlaine poems, set to music by Poldowksi.

World-renowned baritone Christopher Maltman returns to the Festival fresh from singing the role of Wotan in Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House. He is joined by the conductor and pianist Audrey Saint-Gil: the duo have given acclaimed recitals around Europe and the US, including a sensational closing concert of the 2021 Oxford International Song Festival.