James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook return to give us the last in our series of Schubert Lieder song cycles.  With Anna Tilbrook, Victoria Simmonds gave us a very moving Schwanengesang, then two years ago James and Anna performed Die Schone Mullerin, which again was so rapturously received it was decided to bring them back again to sing Winterreise, the most powerful of the three cycles, which we last did ten years ago to a good and enthusiastic audience with Haakon Vramsmo and Andrew West.  James’s singing of the Schubert lieder is something very special in the way that he delivers the text of the songs, getting inside the drama and singular emotion of the pieces. Nobody quite matches his extraordinary ability to tell the story through the song. James and Anna have made a recording of all three cycles with Orchid Classics which have  received lavish plaudits from the musical press.

James Gilchrist is one of the UK’s leading tenors and has performed in major concert halls throughout the world.   Recognised as ‘the finest Evangelist of his generation’ his extensive repertoire embraces works spanning many centuries. James has recorded and sung with many of the leading early music ensembles and conductors in Monteverdi, Bach and Handel and recorded works including those by Britten, Gurney, Howells and Finzi  Also among his recordings is one of Vaughan Williams’ Wenlock Edge, which he performed with Anna a few years ago at Kelso, one of our most successful concerts.