Moods – Lute Songs and Love Songs from the 15th Century to the present day
Moods is a collection of duets and solo songs from Vicki and Sebastian Field, exploring love, loss, and reflection across six centuries. From the elegance of Renaissance lute songs to the expressive beauty of Baroque opera, through Romantic melodies and 20th-century art songs, this album brings together a wide range of music that has captivated listeners for generations.
The programme opens with Monteverdi’s exquisite duet Pur ti Miro, before moving to the intimate world of Renaissance lute songs, including Robert Johnson’s Where the Bee Sucks (Sebastian) and Dowland’s Flow My Tears (Vicki), accompanied by Jessica Gordon Bruno on lute. The haunting medieval carol There is No Rose is a rare gem, performed as a duet.
The Baroque era is represented by Handel’s Lascia ch’io Pianga (Vicki) and Purcell’s Music for a While (Sebastian), both enriched by Jonathan Hope’s expressive piano accompaniment.
Bellini’s Ma Rendi pur Contento (Vicki) brings Romantic elegance, while Vaughan Williams’ Hands, Eyes, and Heart and Tired (Sebastian), from the Four Last Songs, are two exquisite miniatures.
The album also includes Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s Set in the Manner of Handel (Sebastian), a delightful pastiche, and Peter Revell’s Serenade to a Beautiful Day (Vicki), bringing the collection into the present.
Recorded by Acclaim Productions in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral.
Artwork by Philip Lancaster. Cover photograph by Vicki Field.
The disc is available to buy for the price of £7 from https://creativefield.uk/product/moods-lute-songs-and-love-songs-from-the-fifteenth-century-to-the-present-day
Reviews
‘Very well done to Hereford’s (and Gloucester’s) Vicki and Sebastian Field on producing this disc: Monteverdi, Robert Johnson, John Dowland, Handel, Purcell, Bellini, Vaughan Williams, Peter Revell and Victor Hely-Hutchinson. Perfect relaxing music…’ Quentin Letts, Journalist and Author
‘Just now and again, an album stops me in my tracks. “Moods” did just that. Beautiful voices, Sebastian Field, Vicki Field, perfectly accompanied by Jonathan Hope (piano) and Jessica Gordon Bruno (lute). The whole album is exquisite. I cannot recommend it highly enough! Some of the most beautiful singing I have ever heard.’ John Balsdon, Willowhayne Records
Track Listing
1. Pur ti Miro – Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) (duet)
2. Where the Bee Sucks – Robert Johnson (c. 1583–1633) (Sebastian)
3. Flow My Tears – John Dowland (1563–1626) (Vicki)
4. There is No Rose – Anonymous (from the Trinity Carol Roll) (duet)
5. Lascia ch’io Pianga – George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) (from Rinaldo) (Vicki)
6. Music for a While – Henry Purcell (1659–1695) (Sebastian)
7. Ma Rendi pur Contento – Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835) (Vicki)
8. Tired – Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) (from Four Last Songs) (Sebastian)
9. Hands, Eyes, and Heart – Ralph Vaughan Williams (from Four Last Songs) (Sebastian)
10. Serenade to a Beautiful Day – Peter Revell (Vicki)
11. Set in the Manner of Handel – Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901–1947) (Sebastian)
Performers
• Sebastian Field – countertenor (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11)
• Vicki Field – soprano (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10)
• Jessica Gordon Bruno – lute (tracks 1–4)
• Jonathan Hope – piano (tracks 5–11)
🎧 Listen to Moods:
🎵 Spotify
▶️ YouTube