Charlecote Park, now National Trust property, was the ancestral home of the Lucy family, into which Mary Elizabeth married in 1823. Her harp, a wedding present from her husband, still resides in the parlour. Though we are not told in which room this recording was made, Charlecote Park is patently an apt venue for a recital such as this. There is an appropriate resonance, though it is not always kind to Rothschild’s terminal consonants. The programme marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the founding father of the Rothschilds and comprises music written by composers who were friends, teachers or ancestors of the family, a neat and unique package indeed.
Rothschild has a fine and flexible voice, capable of subtle shading over a wide range of volume, a trifle hard-edged in the upper reaches when pushed and lacking a truly French nasal honk, but in general a splendid vehicle for this repertory. The various excellences of Watkins’s harp playing, both as soloist and accompanist, will come as no surprise only to those who have heard it before. What is on offer is some 73 minutes of intimate delights, with some old favourites in charming new dresses. Fear Morpheus only if you have eaten and drunk too well beforehand.'