{"id":18430,"date":"2022-08-16T14:42:28","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T12:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=156025"},"modified":"2022-08-16T14:56:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T12:56:13","slug":"who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Roderick Williams? Everything you need to know about the British baritone including his best recordings"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Michael Beek\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 16 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Who is Roderick Williams?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Roderick Williams is an English baritone and composer \u2013 one of the most highly respected singers in the UK \u2013 known for the sophistication of his voice, the intelligence of his interpretations, the breadth of the repertoire he takes on and his infectious enthusiasm for life and for everything he does. He is also known for being a thoroughly nice chap, with a beaming smile.<\/p>\n
Where did he grow up?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Born in north London, in 1965, to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother, Williams grew up in High Barnet and attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers\u2019 Aske\u2019s Boys\u2019 School in Hertfordshire.<\/p>\n
How did he get into classical music?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
He started singing as a treble when he was six years old, and also played the cello. His mother introduced him to the world of opera by singing along to recordings of Maria Callas<\/a><\/strong> while cooking Sunday lunch, and his father played the guitar as a hobby. However, it was listening to a section from Benjamin Britten<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s Frank Bridge Variations\u00a0<\/em>as background music to a short film about glass blowing that really sparked Williams\u2019s love of classical music.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Did he go straight into singing after university?<\/strong><\/h2>\nNo \u2013 despite singing as a chorister in his childhood, and then winning a choral scholarship to Magdalene College, Oxford. On graduating from university he initially trained as a teacher, and worked for several years as Director of Choral Studies at Tiffin Boys\u2019 School in Kington-upon-Thames, moonlighting as a singer at weekend concerts.<\/p>\n<h2>So how did he change track?<\/strong><\/h2>\nGradually, he became aware that some of his colleagues from Magdalene College had become professional singers. But the deciding moment was a conversation with his wife, when she asked him what his ambitions were. Realising that he would love to do what his colleagues had done, and go professional with his singing, he applied, and was accepted, aged 28, on the opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama \u2013 and threw himself wholeheartedly at it. He made his debut at the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/bbc-proms-2022-full-concert-listings\/"\">BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong> in 1996, in a concert performance of Verdi\u2019s Don Carlos. He has been hugely in demand ever since.<\/p>\n<h2>What kind of repertoire does he sing?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAs an omni-enthusiast, he has sung <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/top-10-baroque-composers\/"\">baroque opera<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-mozart-operas\/"\">Mozart<\/a><\/strong>, 20th-century English music \u2013 especially by Britten \u2013\u00a0 as well as new roles in contemporary works by composers including Michel van der Aa and <a href=\""https:\/\/classicalmusic.production.wcp.imdserve.com\/composers\/who-is-sally-beamish\/"\">Sally Beamish<\/a><\/strong>. The characters he portrays are widely varied, ranging from the idealistic Billy Budd to the villainous Scarpia from <a href=\""https:\/\/classicalmusic.production.wcp.imdserve.com\/features\/works\/puccinis-tosca-guide\/"\">Tosca<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 <\/em>a role, he says, that he found very cathartic, despite audiences assuming him to be far too nice to play such a repellant character. He excels in 19th century art song; he loves Bach and Rameau and recently worked on <a href=\""https:\/\/www.kingsplace.co.uk\/whats-on\/classical\/sound-voice-project\/"\">Sound Voice<\/a><\/strong> a project exploring the lived experience voice loss.<\/p>\nOne thing he doesn\u2019t particularly love is musical theatre, and even that he has dipped his toe into, singing Jerome Kern\u2019s \u2018Ol Man River\u2019 from the 1936 musical Showboat\u00a0<\/em>at the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BMAZe89O61k"\">2014 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong> (in his own orchestral arrangement), a performance that he repeated for charity <a href=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YXFmC9DSff8"\">in an online concert<\/a><\/strong> during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Kern,\" arr.=\"\" williams:=\"\" man=\"\" river=\"\" bbc=\"\" proms=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BMAZe89O61k?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h2>And his compositions?<\/strong><\/h2>\nYep, there have been several of those too \u2013 premiered at the Wigmore and Barbican Halls, the Purcell Room and live on national UK radio. Among his choral works are World Without End \u2013<\/i> a piece to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Air Force; and Now Winter Nights<\/i> composed for VOCES8. Last year, he signed to Edition Peters, which released an initial eight choral works by him in January 2021.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Welcoming\" roderick=\"\" williams=\"\" to=\"\" edition=\"\" peters=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hIaWTGyshX8?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h2>Does he have children?<\/strong><\/h2>\nYes, two daughters and a son.<\/p>\n<h2>Where does he perform?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAlthough he does perform abroad, Williams prefers to remain within easy reach of his family. As a result, he has centred most of his work in the UK, performing most frequently with companies including Opera North, Scottish Opera and English National Opera.<\/p>\n<h2>Is there anything he wishes he could do better?<\/strong><\/h2>\nHula-hooping. And swimming front crawl by just kicking his legs; by his own admission, he goes backwards.<\/p>\nPhoto: Getty<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\""p1"\">Roderick Williams on\u2026 his<\/span> finest moment<\/span><\/h2>\nMartin <\/span>In terra pax<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRoderick Williams (baritone) et al; London Philharmonic Orchestra\/Matthias Bamert<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nChandos CHAN9465 (1996)<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handlercontainer\" image-handlercontainer--full=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=300%2C200,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=300%2C200,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=355%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=405%2C270,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=405%2C270,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=554%2C369"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=554%2C369"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=408%2C272,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C272,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=556%2C370"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C370"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-156032\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handlerimage=\"\" image-handlerimage--full=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Martin-In-terra-pax-by-Roderick-Williams-cf5adfb.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nThere was a mix-up with the dates for the original baritone that was booked for this recording, and so I stepped in at the last minute. It was literally a day or two before the session that I got the call. I didn\u2019t know much Frank Martin but, having been a choral scholar, I had a background in sight reading, so I thought it was something I could do. I just found the music really exciting; it\u2019s a really austere soundworld.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><a class=\""standard-card-new__article-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/six-best-baritones\/"\">Six of the best\u2026baritones<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>There wasn\u2019t time for anybody to do any French coaching with me, so I went in with my best O-Level French! There might have been a coach in the recording session to help me, but everything else was done on wits and nerves. If I could reverse-engineer my career, I\u2019d persuade myself to take my languages to A-Level and beyond but I had no idea at that point that I was going to have a career as a singer.<\/span><\/p>\nThe situation was quite tense, but actually in those moments, unless you do a bad job, everybody is just so grateful that you\u2019re there to rescue the ship that they cut you a lot of slack. I was singing with Della Jones and Martyn Hill, who are my seniors and betters, so I ran with the ball and had a really great time.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"\/\/www.onbuy.com\/gb\/london-philharmonic-orchestra-frank-martin-in-terra-pax-the-four-elements-cd~c5629~p6560507"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">Buy from OnBuy<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Frank-Martin-terra-Four-Elements\/dp\/B000000AZC?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 class=\""p1"\">Roderick Williams on\u2026 his favourite memory<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/ralph-vaughan-williams\/"\">Vaughan Williams <\/span><\/a>Songs of Travel<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRoderick Williams (baritone); Royal Scottish National Orchestra\/Martin Yates<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nDutton Epoch CDLX7359 (2019)<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handlercontainer\" image-handlercontainer--aspect=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=298%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=298%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=353%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=353%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=403%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=403%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=553%2C369"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=553%2C369"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=618%2C413"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=406%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=406%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=554%2C370"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=554%2C370"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-156034\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handlerimage=\"\" image-handlerimage--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-of-Travel-by-Roderick-Williams--157fb33.jpg?quality=90&resize=618%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nThis is a piece I know very well, so I was looking forward to the sessions. I flew to Edinburgh and planned to hire a car and drive to Dundee. But it was the day after one of those storms that\u2019s got someone\u2019s name \u2013 Storm Kevin, or something \u2013 and trees had been uprooted in Dundee, so it had been pretty bad. <\/span><\/p>\nIt was pandemonium in the airport; the queue was long and I saw the time peeling away. I realised I wasn\u2019t going to get my hire car, so I got a taxi instead and arrived late in an absolute state. Everyone calmed me down, however, and we did my sessions. The orchestra was wonderful and the Caird Hall acoustics made me sound great. <\/span><\/p>\nThe piano version of the penultimate song, \u2018Bright is the Ring of Words\u2019, is in\u00a0C, so when the orchestra put down this huge chord of D major it was a bit of a surprise. You can\u2019t ask 80 musicians to transpose down a tone, so I girded my loins and sang it in D.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Vaughan-Williams-Songs-Travel-Roderick\/dp\/B000B6N6A4?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 class=\""p1"\">Roderick Williams on\u2026 what he would like to have another go at<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nSchubert <\/span>Winterreise<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRoderick Williams (baritone),<br\/>\nIain Burnside (piano)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nChandos CHAN20163 (2020)<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handlercontainer\" image-handlercontainer--aspect=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=554%2C369"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=554%2C369"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=555%2C370"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=555%2C370"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-156035\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handlerimage=\"\" image-handlerimage--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2021\/07\/Schubert-Winterreise-by-Roderick-Williams-0fe0379.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nI think anyone who records feels privileged and flattered to be asked to do it. But there\u2019s also a feeling that you are putting your thoughts down for the end of all time. So anybody who puts on my recording of Schubert might be fooled into thinking this is how I believe <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/franz-schubert\/"\">Schubert<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Winterreise<\/i> should go. I\u2019ve sort of gone off that as an idea; I now believe that it\u2019s more a case of \u2018this is how I was singing Schubert with Iain Burnside during that recording session in June of last year\u2019. Possibly the next day, Iain and I might perform and indeed record Winterreise <\/i>quite differently. And the day after that I might perform it with a different pianist and record it wholly differently again.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><a class=\""standard-card-newarticle-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-schuberts-winterreise\/"\">The best recordings of Schubert\u2019s Winterreise<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a class=\""standard-card-newarticle-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/schubert-style-guide\/"\">Schubert: A Style Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>There\u2019s that age-old argument about recording jazz; you think by preserving it, you\u2019re already limiting your choices. The thing I love about performing the three Schubert song cycles \u2013 but Winterreise<\/i> more than any of them \u2013 is the differences I notice along the way. I love that about the piece and that\u2019s why I\u2019d like to return to it again, perhaps at ten-year intervals.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Schubert-Winterreise-Roderick-Williams-Burnside\/dp\/B08R25WNT2\/ref=asc_df_B08R25WNT2?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>Roderick Williams\u2019s new release \u2018Das M\u00e4dchen spricht\u2019 from SOMM Recordings is out now<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Michael Beek Published: Tuesday, 16 August 2022 at 12:00 am Who is Roderick Williams? Roderick Williams is an English baritone and composer \u2013 one of the most highly respected singers in the UK \u2013 known for the sophistication of his voice, the intelligence of his interpretations, the breadth of the repertoire he takes on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":18431,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings.jpg",1417,1042,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings-300x221.jpg",300,221,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings-768x565.jpg",768,565,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings-1024x753.jpg",800,588,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings.jpg",1417,1042,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/08\/who-is-roderick-williams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-british-baritone-including-his-best-recordings.jpg",1417,1042,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Michael Beek Published: Tuesday, 16 August 2022 at 12:00 am Who is Roderick Williams? Roderick Williams is an English baritone and composer \u2013 one of the most highly respected singers in the UK \u2013 known for the sophistication of his voice, the intelligence of his interpretations, the breadth of the repertoire he takes on…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/18430"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}