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Two Sonnets for Soprano and Piano

Music: Toby Hession (b. 1997)
Text: Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)

Soprano: Pollyanna Furness
Piano: Toby Hession

Recorded live in concert in the Chapel of Clare College, Cambridge, Wednesday 27th January, 2016.


I : Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that I once had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.


II : After Death

The curtains were half drawn, the floor was swept
And strewn with rushes, rosemary and may
Lay thick upon the bed on which I lay,
Where through the lattice ivy-shadows crept.
He leaned above me, thinking that I slept
And could not hear him, but I heard him say:
‘Poor child, poor child:’ and as he turned away
Came a deep silence, and I knew he wept.
He did not touch the shroud, or raise the fold
That hid my face, or take my hand in his,
Or ruffle the smooth pillows for my head:
He did not love me living; but once dead
He pitied me; and very sweet it is
To know he still is warm though I am cold.

Two Sonnets for Soprano and Piano (2015)

www.tobyhession.com

Toby Hession (b. 1997) is a British conductor, collaborative pianist and composer, currently on the Music Staff of Scottish Opera. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Opera School 2019-21) and is a prize-winning graduate of Clare College, Cambridge (BA 2015-18 and MPhil 2018-19). He is a proud alumnus of the Georg Solti Accademia and Chetham's School of Music.

Toby's music is published by Edition Peters, and has been recorded and performed around the world by ensembles including The King's Singers, Voces8, The Aurora Orchestra, The Phoenix Chorale, Ensemble Perspectives, The National Youth Chamber Choir of Great Britain, Inner Voices, and the Choir of Clare College Cambridge. 

For enquiries, visit www.tobyhession.com

Two Sonnets for Soprano and Piano (2015)

toby.hession