Credits:

Joann Falletta

Description:

William Walton first met the British poet Edith Sitwell (18871964) around 1916, after he enrolled at Christ Church, Oxford, and became close friends with Ediths brother, Sashwell. Walton, who later withdrew from the university, moved in with the Sitwell family and set his sights on becoming a composer. The collaboration between Edith and Walton, *Faade*, was published in 1922 and became Waltons first major success. Ediths poems offer a satirical and scathing portrayal of late-Victorian bourgeois society, and Walton set them to music rich in humor and wit that perfectly matches the text.In addition to the first recording of Small Talk, written in 1922, this album includes three songs that Walton had previously deleted as bonus tracks. Enjoy the performance by the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players, conducted by Joan Faretta, along with the lighthearted narration by three singersincluding P