Stacey Kent – Summer Me, Winter Me (2LP)

“‘Which album is that song on?’ is a question I often get asked after a concert at signings. Since our set lists invariably include a mixture of old and new repertoire, the answer is sometimes, ‘it’s not on any album.’ This album is therefore a collection of those songs. It’s a response to all those people who have said over the years, somewhat disappointed, ‘you haven’t recorded ‘If You Go Away’?’ and so on.

“This is also the first time I’ve recorded a song twice on the same album. ‘If You Go Away’ entered my repertoire in 2018 when Jim wrote an orchestral arrangement for a concert in Paris. I was also singing Jacques Brel’s original, ‘Ne me quitte pas’, from time to time. But whatever the language, someone would ask why I hadn’t sung it in the other. Some singers have responded by interpolating both languages into the same version. Since both sets of lyrics are beautiful on their own terms and are equally deserving of inclusion, I chose to record them both.

“So, whilst not exactly a requests album, Summer Me, Winter Me is a response to that informal and unscientific sounding, a representative selection of some of these ‘requests’.” - Stacey Kent