First, there is no certain age for the performer of these songs and, therefore, it is imperative that the singer(of whatever age!) makes these musical musings her own.
In creating this song cycle, Ben and I shared a desire to make equal both words and music, so that the one complements the other. In practice theperformers must find the most suitable tempi so that neither element is compromised. The songs explore a variety of moods and musical styles; we hope they will lend themselves to all sorts and sizes of soprano and mezzo soprano voices alike.
The inspiration for these songs came from a number of chance conversations with certain female friends. The women to whom I have shown the poems all laughed or smiled knowingly. I think that these reactions were positive ones ... at least I hope they were.
Ben and I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to mezzo soprano Hanna-Liisa Kirchin and pianist Daniel Browell for their invaluable help and support in the realisation of these pieces. Songs for Girls of a Certain Age is the perfect collection for that end-of-recital spot; we hope you enjoy performing them.
Garth Bardsley,18 May 2012
