Celebrity song recital confirmed for the county

Renowned baritone Benjamin Appl and acclaimed pianist James Baillieu will perform a ‘Homage to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’ at 7.30pm on March 7 in St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury.

Featured composers will include Franz Schubert, Albert Fischer-Dieskau, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg, Benjamin Britten, Clara Schumann and Carl Maria von Weber.

John Moore, musical director of Shropshire Music Trust, which is staging the event, said that Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was one of the most famous ‘Lieder’ – or art song - performers of the post-war period.

He said: “His singing reached so many people and he touched their hearts with the art of song. To this day he is considered to be a source of inspiration, a role model to thousands of singers, with many of his recordings remaining unsurpassed.

“Benjamin Appl is carrying on and enhancing his legacy. He is celebrated for a voice that belongs to the last of the old great masters of song, with an almost infinite range of colours, and has won multiple awards.”

Described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘in a class of his own’, James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation. He has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the world and collaborates with a wide range of singers and instrumentalists.

John added: “This should be a very special evening and an opportunity for Shropshire music lovers to come along and hear some gorgeous singing.”

Tickets are available at https://www.shropshiremusictrust.co.uk/tickets