Description
The Unthanks’ latest venture, Lines, is a trilogy of three discrete song cycles inspired by poetry, the principal link between them being their focusing on female perspectives across time – those of Hull fishing worker Lillian Bilocca, World War One female poets and writer Emily Brontë respectively.
Pt. I, Lillian Bilocca, is eerily reflective, the songs proving superbly effective in portraying the very character of Lillian, depicting the thrusting, driven intensity of her grit and determination. The whole of Pt. II, World War One, is impressive, possessing a special, poignant unity, perhaps at least partly due to the common factor of composer Adrian McNally’s unique style.
The Brontë set is the obvious headliner, setting Emily’s poems to music and recording them at the Brontës’ parsonage home. It’s haunting – Emily seems half in love with an easeful death. McNally composed these settings on Emily’s original piano (a rare example of a 5-octave cabinet piano probably made in London between 1810 and 1815), in The Parsonage at Haworth where she grew up. Since the Brontë Parsonage is now a working museum, the recording as well as the writing all had to take place after nightfall, and the intimate ambience of this quiet and atmospheric time is entirely apt for the intimate nature of Emily’s poetry.
In summary, the sisters’ gently expressive performing style allows for discreet nuances in phrasing that reveal a deeper undercurrent in the writing and the sense of commitment and vision of the whole team ensures that the Unthanks standard remains high.
