Haydn, Fauré, Strauss & operatic arias

Michael Butchard and Clara Murnig

Charlton House: 22 February 2013

Michael Butchard is fairly described as an "intelligent musician, with a fine tenor voice", who has studied at Sydney Conservatorium and is currently based in London at the Royal College of Music.

He has a fresh voice, a true tenor with easy high notes and a pleasing relaxed platform manner to communcate with audiences. He began well with Haydn's English songs, and impressed in Strauss favourites.

He'd have done better not to have begun his opera selection with Mozart's Il mio tesoro (it sounds a little better on his website) but was comfortable singing Gounod in French and a couple of romantic Italian arias.

Sympathetically accompanied by Clara Murnig it will be good to hear Michael again in a couple of years.

Peter Grahame Woolfblackheath lunchtime