Brighton Year-Round 2026
Mandy Ching Man Liu, Bonnie Liu, Irine Chagunava Recital St Nicholas Church, Brighton
Mandy Ching Man Liu, Bonnie Liu, Irine Chagunava
Genre: Live Music, Music
Venue: St Nicholas Church, Dyke Road, Brighton
Festival: Brighton Year-Round
Low Down
Soprano Mandy Ching Man Liu, Mezzo Bonnie Liu and pianist Irine Chagunava arrive at St Nicholas for a recital of largely women composers. It’s superbly refreshing.
An exceptional recital from both soloists and pianist. And special too in its range of repertoire. Fearless and eclectic yet knowing where they want to go aesthetically.
Review
Soprano Mandy Ching Man Liu, Mezzo Bonnie Liu and pianist Irine Chagunava arrive at St Nicholas for a recital of largely women composers. It’s superbly refreshing. Mandy Liu is a graduate with distinction from Trinity Laban, Hong Kong Conservatoire and Royal Holloway. Bonnie Liu in 2025 won the prestigious Janet Price Opera Prize. Georgian Chagunava s graduate of Tblisi conservatoire moved to the UK and received her MA from Birmingham Conservatoire in 2021; she’s since garnered prestigious prizes.
Liza Lehmann (1862-1918) is known for popular lighter classical songs. But her piquant harmonies in ‘The Wren’ from her 1907 Bird Songs is far more; a late romantic palate and not out of place in Vienna. Mandy Liu’s ringing soprano is here delicate filigree and intricately wrought. Any Beach (1867-1944) though more celebrated now isn’t as adventurous in her 1899-1900 Browning setting ‘I send my heart up to thee’ in the way she would develop later. It’s still an enchanting warm glow from the New England School.
Rhian Samuels (born 1944) is now the senior Welsh composer: Wales has always been preeminent in women composers and ‘The Gaze’ with its shattering harmonies melodic fierceness and a top-note that seems built for acetylene shows why. Though we’re not told, it’s a setting from Shakespeare’s Hamlet dating (as far as I can tell) from the 1990s. It’s a blazing piece that should be far better known. Menacing almost with its intensity it’s also grateful to Liu’s range and allows her tessitura some explosive registers.
After this Brahms comes almost modestly in one of his quite late five Op 105 songs from 1886-88. ‘Auf dem Kirchhofe’ which balm doesn’t preclude that Brahmsian undercurrent of disquiet.
Wagner’s eroticised Wesendonck lieder from 1857 written for Mathilde Wesendonck lights in ‘Die Engel’s the angel a rapturous though not so erotic dedication. It’s welcome as we hear ‘The Hothouse’ his masterpiece in these songs quite often. It’s still imbued with the new tonalities about to blaze forth in Tristan under Isolde – taking bearings from Liszt’s Faust Symphony.
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) enjoyed sing writing throughout his exceptionally long career..’Cacilie’ the second from his great Op 27 set from 1894 (that includes ‘Morgen’) is a delightful one might almost say album piece, modest but intricate. And perfectly delivered. Strauss’s ferocious wife Pauline at last knew it was dedicated to her to sing, around the time of their wedding. Any other ‘Cacilie’ would have initiated divorce proceedings.
Bonnie Liu takes over for Clara Schumann (1818-96) showing us what a great talent was truncated when she virtually stopped writing after 1854. From her 3 Lieder Op 12 from 1841 this ‘Liebst du um Schonheit’ is melismatic and advanced harmonically for its time. Brief and relatively enclosed in a middle register it’s still remarkable.
Mahler’s five Rückert Lieder from 1901-2 follow to end the programme. Here were really aware of Chagunava’s virtuosity and melding with Bonnie Liu.
The very same text ‘Liebst du um Schonheit’ begins this cycle. It’s more urgent harmonically with Mahler’s setting more headlong. It’s follows as Liu blooms with the rapturous ‘Bucke mir nicht in der lieder’ with its small renunciations held in a melismatic haze as Liu floats the words ecstatically.
‘Ich atmart’ einem linden Duft with its ominous sleep and linden tree motif swings with a consolatory dark overtone if eternal rest.
The famous chiming of ‘Um Mitternacht’ introduces a slow roll of mortality in one of Mahler’s greatest songs. Liu sings with clarity and affection colouring the language with its grief and foreboding.
Finally ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ introduces a different consolatory chiming and the vision of something after life’s struggles. It’s Adagio is almost a miniature of the way parts of the final huge song in his 1909 Das Lied Von Der Erde brings a rounded leave-taking. Liu again is spellbinding.
Both singers joined together in an entrancing duet rendition of Mendelssohn’s ‘In Wings of Song’. A perfect sorbet to conclude after the Mahler.
An exceptional recital from both soloists and pianist. And special too in its range of repertoire. Fearless and eclectic yet knowing where they want to go aesthetically. They should return soon.
