Sleeve Notes

Music of the Fuchsia debut CD June 1998

"It is possible to define the distinct and separate areas of interpretation, composition, improvisation, arrangement and musical performance? Music of the Fuchsia, the talented duo of soprano Rosemary Forbes-Butler on vocals and composer Paul Ayres on piano, think not. Guided by the spirit of the text and music and by their own musical instinct and creativity, their innovative approach is designed to stimulate, delight, provoke and entertain."

Volate, amori - Fly, loves, from two beautiful hearts, to celebrate immense joy. The pleasure is so great, I cannot describe the exhilaration ....

Espoir si cher - Hope so dear and so sweet, ah! why have you deceived me? You've made me fall from great splendour. A thousand hearts loved me, I rejected them all. I only ask for ...

Credits

Design: Two by Two Design Consultants Limited. T 0171 261 0505
Photography: Ruth Pepper

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Rosemary Forbes-Butler has concentrated on early and contemporary music and has had a substantial number of new works written for her and her vocal ensemble Rosy Voices. She premiered The Silver Swan by Paul Clark and recently performed this work at the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House, has toured in Europe with the Hilliard Ensemble, sang lead roles for the English National Opera project On Thee We Feed by Richard Chew and for Robert Hugill’s opera Garrett. She sang Satie's Socrate with John Tilbury at the Conway Hall as well as being a guest soloist for the Alan Bush centenary concert at the Wigmore Hall. Abroad has performed the role of Titania from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Spoleto Festival under Richard Hickox, and has been invited to give many recitals in Venice where she now lives. She has sung on television, radio, for the Royal Opera House and London Sinfonietta Voices, and on the soundtracks Moulin Rouge, Treasure Planet, Romeo+Juliet and (featuring her kazoo debut) Chicken Run.

Paul Ayres, finalist in the first BBC Young Composer of the Year award, works as a freelance musician. His music is has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and mp3.com, and is published in Canada, USA and the UK. His career as a concert organist has taken him to a large number of cathedrals across Europe, North America and Australasia, and his solo CD Passacaglia has received many favourable reviews. Other projects in his musical life have included arranging Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell for boy chorister & organ for BBCtv, accompanying Radio 4's Daily Service, playing piano for improvised comedy shows in fringe theatres, working as a composer-in-education (Performing Right Society schemes), and playing the organ for Christmas carols at the Royal Albert Hall.