Drifts and Shadows: American Song for the New Millennium
2009; Routledge; Volume: 66; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
Autores Tópico(s)Diverse Musicological Studies
ResumoDrifts and Shadows: American Song for New Millennium. Elem Eley, baritone; J.J. Penna, Martin Hennessy, piano; Bruce Williamson, clarinet. (Albany TROY 1050; 52:56) Tom Cipullo: Drifts and Shadows: blizzard, Almanac of Last Things, Back Of, Subway, the arithmetic of alternation. David Eddleman: How Many Times Do Love Thee, Dear, We Understand Each Other Perfectly. Daron Hagen: Letting Go: A Suite of Appearances, Ferry Me across Water, Ghost Letter, I'll sing a song to my love, Prayer to Sparrow in Two Seasons, Second Law, Psalm 150. Martin Hennessy: 3 Songs from Ruminations: I Thought it was Harry, Of natural world, You get to Gilead. Richard Hundley: Come Ready and See Me, Strings in Earth and Air. Lee Hoiby: Was There: Beginning my Studies, I Was There, A Clear Midnight, O My Captain! Joy, Shipmate, Joy! The highest compliment a composer can bestow on a singer is to entrust him/her with new music or to craft that music with singer's particular gifts in mind. By that standard, baritone Elem Eley is an exceptionally esteemed singer with an impressive array of world premieres to his credit. This engaging collection shows us why. No matter what technical and expressive hurdles these songs present, Eley surmounts them with conviction and assurance, impressing us as a singer, musician, and communicator. His sizable voice is surprisingly supple, a quality that serves him well in many turbulent melodic lines he has to sing. The sound is warm and colorful at every dynamic level and truly gorgeous in lower and middle registers. The upper register shines beautifully as well, except in those instances when voice has to leap suddenly or hang there for long periods of time. Eley's singing turns a bit effortful in these passages, although that probably has less to do with any failings on his part and more to do with these composers and what some might characterize as their occasional insensitivity to what human voice can and cannot do. It might also be argued that these art songs were not written for sake of conventional prettiness, but rather to bring these texts to life with vibrancy and immediacy, even if it means taxing singer to their limits and beyond. In that context, one can be grateful that so much of this singing is as beautiful as it is, which says a great deal about Eley's impressive skills and gifts. It also says something about exceptional skills of pianist who collaborates with Eley on most of this disk, J.J. Penna. He has made music with likes of Renee Fleming, Denyce Graves, Roberta Peters, and David Daniels, and has coached with distinction for Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Merola Opera Program, among others. His playing here is dazzling, but what is even more impressive is seamless partnership with singer. Whether riding wild waves of a song like Tom Cipullo's or engaging in rather simple, heartfelt dialogue of Daron Hagen's Prayer to Sparrow in Two Seasons, Penna and Eley seem to be artistic soul mates. (They are faculty colleagues at Westminster Choir College.) Clearly this is a partnership that extends far beyond mastering mere notes on page, although in songs like these that's impressive enough. What they achieve here is truly profound. The disk opens with Drifts and Shadows, a cycle of five songs that are actually drawn from Cipullo's longer cantata titled Secrets. The texts are by Linda Pastan and range far and wide in subject and mood, describing everything from a harsh blizzard to a sleepless person reciting subway stops. The poet has an uncanny knack for shedding light on ordinary things or for saying profound things about human condition with disarming directness. …
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