Lawrence Tibbett sings ‘Goin’ Home’

Written by Tobias Greenhalgh

Baritone

In category: Song of the Day

Published May 4, 2018

I certainly didn’t plan it this way, but I am writing this blog post while waiting for my departing flight in the Vienna Airport – I am quite literally “going home” to visit my family in Rochester, NY. My nomadic existence as a singer is equally exciting and challenging, with the loss of a sense of home being by far the most difficult thing to deal with. I have learned the importance of bringing “home” with me wherever I travel, whether through the comfort of daily rituals, exercise, exploring, or listening to certain pieces of music. I found this recording of “Goin’ Home” a few years ago, sung by one of my favorite baritones, Lawrence Tibbett.  Whenever I listen to it, it evokes a powerful sense of longing, of melancholy, of dreaming of home. Tibbetts’s voice is as powerful as it is delicate and he explores both extremes wonderfully.  This poignant setting of an African American Spiritual to Dvorak’s haunting theme never fails to ground me and make me feel connected to my own home, no matter how far away I might be.

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Tobias Greenhalgh is a versatile baritone on the rise, with leading role debuts at Glyndebourne (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and the Aix-en-Provence Festival(Dido and Aeneas) during the 2017/2018 season. After graduating from Juilliard, Tobias moved to Vienna to join the ensemble at the Theater an der Wien, where he made his European debut singing the title role in ‘Eugene Onegin’. He most recently sang the roles of Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at the Theater an der Wien, and Maximilian (Candide) with Palm Beach Opera. He will be making his Carnegie Hall debut on May 12 in Ethyl Smyth’s ‘The Prison’ with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, and celebrating the release of a ‘Three Baritones’ album with a joint recital at Weill Hall on May 22nd.

1 Comment

  1. Avatar

    I’m a distant relative of Lawrence Tibbet and every so often I go on Youtube to listen to “Going Home”.
    I would love to hear you sing this hauntingly beautiful song.

    Reply

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