BIG AND BEAUTIFUL

Bronwyn Schuman and Katerina Burton

We love big beautiful sopranos with big beautiful voices and were delighted to get a further hearing of Katerina Burton whom we so enjoyed as the housekeeper Mrs. Grose in Britten's Turn of the Screw. Since then we have heard and enjoyed her sizable soprano a few more times; yesterday we found ourself grabbing one last chance to hear her at her Graduate Diploma Degree recital before she departs for Opera Theater of St. Louis' Young Artist Program.

Every time we have heard her in recital she has performed songs of Joseph Marx, a choice which delights us. Yesterday she explained that the composer defied the atonal and serial innovations of his contemporaries (Berg and Schoenberg) to write tonal melodic music. This serves to explain why he never achieved the fame he merits and also why we like his songs so much!

Ms. Burton's instrument is rich and full with spacious resonance at the top and Marx's songs offer many opportunities to show it off. It would be difficult to pick a favorite but we particularly enjoyed the tender "Selige Nacht" as collaborative pianist Bronwyn Schuman joined in with gentle arpeggi. Both artists invested "Der bescheidene Schäfer" with charm. There was an immediacy to "Waldseligkeit" that we felt to be shared among the poet, the composer, the two artists, and the audience.

Equally thrilling for us was the set of songs by Jean Sibelius, sung in Swedish. We did not know that he composed over a hundred songs, having heard only a few of them. (This gives us something to look forward to!) The four selected by Ms. Burton were familiar to us, especially the passionate "Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte" and "Var det en dröm" in which the low notes didn't phase Ms. Burton at all. "De första kyssen" was beautifully phrased and "Soluppgång" made use of dynamic variety to great effect. 

Three 20th c. English songs on the program offered pleasures of varying degrees. We had not heard of British composer Michael Head but his strophic song "The Ships of Arcady" pleased us with its lovely melody, rhyme scheme, and repetitive motif. Ivor Gurney's "Sleep" lacked an interesting vocal line so we found our ears tuning in to the haunting piano writing, so well played by Ms. Schuman. Frank Bridge's "Love went a-Riding" is familiar to us and we always enjoy it.

The set of songs by Charles Tomlinson Griffes, settings of text by Fiona McLeod, failed to hold our attention in spite of the fine performance. Again, the lack of a compelling vocal line allowed our attention to wander to the piano.

On the other hand, two French songs compelled our attention by virtue of their melodiousness and Ms. Burton's fine French. Henri DuParc's "L'invitation au voyage" always carries us away to a land of fantasy and Reynaldo Hahn's "Si mes vers avaient des ailes" was sung with appropriate romantic delicacy.

The program closed on a high note with four songs by Rachmaninoff in which singer and collaborative pianist met in perfect partnership. "Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne" has always been one of our favorites. The Eastern melancholy touches our heart and the melismatic singing, like a glorious vocalise, weaves its way into our ears and enchants us. (We had the thought then that we'd love to hear Ms. Burton sing "Bachianas Brazilieras".)

"Son" introduces a gentle Russian melancholy over a dream of yearning, whereas the dream of "Zdes' khorosho" is a dream of solitude and communion. The evening ended joyfully with the seasonally appropriate "Vesenniye vody". The snows are melting, the streams are swollen, Spring is here!

Thank you Katerina for this fulfilling recital (and all the other ones as well) and best wishes in St. Louis! You are destined for success.

(c) meche kroop

MASTER AT THE PIANO

Matthew Pearce, Tamara Banješević, Katerina Burton, Shereen Pimentel, Courtenay Cleary,
and Cameron Richardson-Eames

Last night we attended Cameron Richardson-Eames' Master of Music recital at Juilliard and we were rewarded with a night of magnificent music making. We know Mr. Richardson-Eames mainly through his performances with students from the Vocal Arts Program and had never really considered that collaborative pianists play with other instrumentalists. We are happy to report that this one "plays well with others".

We thrilled to his performance of César Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major; the violinist was the superlative Courtenay Cleary and did they ever make music together! The first movement, Allegretto ben moderato opened with some descending arpeggi of minor triads which soon yielded to a theme of descending scales. These two themes would reappear periodically knitting the work together with a feeling of unity and familiarity. The overall emotion was one of nostalgia.

The Allegro which followed opened with some rumbling in the piano, leading to a veritable storm of anxiety. There was an "eye" to this hurricane but the storm recurred with increased passion.

The third movement (Ben moderato) seemed reflective to us and we liked the liquid manner in which the arpeggi reappeared in the piano, whilst the violin was given some lovely trills.

The fourth movement reminded us of a vocal duet in which the piano and violin each had a different melody with both contributing to a whole that was greater than the sum of the parts. In no way do we consider ourself to be knowledgeable about piano technique but we know artistry when we hear it because we get "the feels".

The second half of the program was on more familiar territory for us since Mr. Richardson-Eames collaborated with four different singers, singing four different styles of song, readily demonstrating his adaptability.

Soprano Katerina Burton, just reviewed a few days ago for some lovely performances of Joseph Marx lieder, has a real feel for this composer and sang "Hat dich die Liebe berührt" and "Nocturne" in which the interludes of rippling in the piano tickled the ear. Ms. Burton's voice opened like an umbrella at the top giving us tons of overtones. We cannot wait to see how Juilliard will polish this particular gem.

Already polished and enjoying a fine career overseas, Tamara Banješević was on hand to perform a pair of songs by Henri Duparc. Chansons can get a bit effete but not these! We have missed hearing Ms. Banješević and found her presence last night to be a very pleasant surprise. "Chanson triste" sounded splendid with the two artists in lovely harmony, both of them expressive and making good use of dynamic variety. "L'invitation au voyage" was performed with almost indecent sensuality and we loved it!

Tenor Matthew Pearce performed two songs in English from the early 20th c. We didn't get much out of Herbert Howells' "The Goat Paths" with its simple vocal line which didn't stay with us, and its spare accompaniment. We preferred the rather silly "I have twelve oxen" by John Ireland, a strophic song that sounded like a folk song. The rhythm was fun and Mr. Pearce has a lovely high register achieved without pushing, and an admirable clarity of diction.

The program ended with soprano Shereen Pimentel singing two songs from Stephen Schwartz' 2003 Wicked--"The Wizard and I" and "I'm Not That Girl". We would far prefer to hear these songs than what passes for contemporary "art song". Ms. Pimentel has incredible stage presence and a lively personality best suited to songs that require dramatic intent. We once sat through Wicked on Broadway, with teeth clenched against the cruel amplification, unable to understand the words. Last night we heard the songs unamplified and could appreciate the artistry of the composition as well as the artistry of Ms. Pimentel's performance.

It was a perfect way to end the recital and we left completely satisfied. Mr. Richardson-Eames demonstrated his artistry and flexibility and is a credit to his teacher, the highly esteemed Brian Zeger.

(c) meche kroop

THE SUNSHINE OF BETTY

Brent Funderburk, Betty Garces, and Nilko Andreas Guarin

It was a gloomy drizzly day outside but inside the National Opera Center we were given such a dose of sunshine that we wished we'd been wearing SPF 40!   Soprano Betty Garces, beside being a highly accomplished musician, radiates warmth onstage. We had the opportunity to hear her perform works of joy, grief, and everything in between. There was not a single false note, not musically, not emotionally.

Most of our reviewing experience  focuses on young artists at the conservatories whom we love to follow, documenting their artistic growth; it is not usual that we review a young artist who is fully formed.  But Ms. Garces comes from Colombia and has been creating sunshine in her native country and in Europe. The hour we spent with her was pure delight and we didn't want it to end.  

She had two superb collaborating artists as well.  Pianist Brent Funderburk, whose sensitive skills working with singers is well remembered from his stint at Juilliard, and classical guitarist Nilko Andreas Guarin who also hails from Colombia and whose artistry as a soloist and collaborator are celebrated world wide. We reviewed Mr. Guarin's superb performance a year and a half ago in an all-Spanish program.

The program certainly showed off Ms. Garces' versatility, in that it included songs in German by Austrian composer Joseph Marx, songs in Russian by Sergei Rachmaninoff, songs in Spanish by composers of Spain and el Nuevo Mundo, songs in Portuguese by Heitor Villalobos and Jayme Ovalle, and arias in Italian by Puccini and Verdi.  Although Russian and Portuguese are not among our languages they sounded just fine.  The German was perfect.

We have always loved songs by Marx whose work looks back toward the 19th c.  Rachmaninoff's lavish romanticism is always a delight to hear and Ms. Garces' performance of "Spring Waters" was particularly timely!

Fellow Colombian Jaime Leon wrote dozens of art songs in the 20th c., of which we heard two--"La Campesina" and "Si no fuera por ti".  Until yesterday we had never heard any of them but we long to hear more of them!

Cuban composer Gonzalo Roig wrote the zarzuela Cecilia Valdes, a tale of class and racial conflict, in 1932. The song of the ill-fated heroine is known to us and it was given a spirited performance by Ms. Garces. Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba wrote his zarzuela La Marchenera in 1928, from which we enjoyed "La Petenera". The Spanish song on yesterday's  program with which we are most familiar was Manuel de Falla's "Polo", from his Siete Canciones Populares Espanolas of 1914. Ms. Garces brought out every ounce of anguish.

The Portuguese songs comprised the much recorded "Azulao" by Ovalle and "Melodia Sentimental" from Villalobos' 1950 work "Floresta do Amazonas", both with guitar accompaniment by Mr. Guarin.

In every case, we felt like we were sampling antojitos, wanting Ms. Garces to return with una comida entera.

In the operatic department we heard "Si, mi chiamano Mimi" from Puccini's La Boheme in which Ms. Garces beautifully portrayed the modest but flirtatious Mimi, and "Pace, pace mio Dio" from Verdi's La forza del destino in which Leonora's desperation was limned.

It is in the performance of an aria that we know well that we are best able to evaluate vocal artistry and it would be an understatement to say that we were impressed. Ms. Garces has a luscious instrument that opens up like an umbrella at the upper end of the register with overtones bouncing around the hall. Her phrasing is impeccable and her use of vocal coloration was as extensive as that of the Fauvists in the world of visual art.  Every song was its own world. No matter how much rehearsal went into this recital, the overall effect was one of spontaneity.

Mr. Guarin entertained us with two fine guitar solos--Prelude No 1 in E minor by Villalobos and Tango in Sky by the recently deceased French composer Roland Dyens. Although we know very little about guitar technique, we could definitely appreciate the beautiful sound and the way he accompanied Ms. Garces for the Portuguese songs, the Torroba, and the De Falla. 

We left completely satisfied by this superb recital which offered a fine balance of vocal and instrumental delights.  Yes, we were satisfied, and yet....we wanted more!

(c) meche kroop

BASS' NEW HOME

Miori Sugiyama, Tami Petty, Michael Brofman, Kristina Bachrach, Laura Strickling, Dominic Armstrong, and Tobias Greenhalgh

The Brooklyn Art Song Society is a unique treasure on the New York City musical scene. We have trekked to the farthest reaches of Brooklyn to hear their roster of splendid singers and to immerse ourselves in their innovative programming.  We are pleased to report that BASS, has begun their seventh season in a new and permanent home--the Brooklyn Historical Society. We are even more pleased to report that the location is a grace note away from several subway stops and marvelously close to Manhattan.

This season's ambitious undertaking has a theme--Wien: Fin de Siècle-- and comprises an exploration of that period of musical maximalism we call Late Romanticism.  Our eyes love Klimt.  Our ears love Mahler. The nine songs by Alexander Zemlinsky that we heard last night filled our heart with joy to the point of bursting.

The opening event of the season was a benefit recital and the large space was packed. What a pleasure to see the results of Founder, Artistic Director and Collaborative Pianist Michael Brofman's consistently excellent programming.  Preceding the recital was a lecture by NYU Professor of History Larry Wolff on the political and cultural environment in Vienna during this epoch.

The aforementioned Zemlinsky songs were shared by soprano Kristina Bachrach and baritone Tobias Greenhalgh. Ms. Bachrach sings with a melting tone and a fine vibrato. She seemed to immerse herself in each song and drew the audience toward her.  The songs are brief vignettes, mostly about love, with "Hütet euch!" bearing a shift from the lighthearted arrival of love to the warning about love's equally precipitous departure. The change in coloration was admirable.

Mr. Greenhalgh has recently returned from the Wiener Kammeroper; although we had no complaints about his fine German diction before, we noticed a crispness that might have had us taking him for a native speaker. We particularly enjoyed the baritonal resonance of his instrument when he struck a lulling tone in "Schlaf nur ein!" The change of color from the anxious tone of the insomniac to the lulling reassurance at the end of each verse was quite lovely. We also loved the ardent romanticism of "Unter blühenden Bäumen".

It was no fault of Mr. Greenhalgh that we could not relate to the lengthy and less accessible piece "An den Mond" by Hans Pfitzner. The text by Goethe is filled with troubled emotions; the vocal line is less melodic; the harmonies are more ambiguous. Mr. Brofman's piano captured the anxiety.

The second half of the program comprised almost as much Strauss as we wanted to hear.  The great thing about Strauss is that he is like champagne for the ear.  One can imbibe to excess but one can never get enough! Miori Sugiyama took over for this set as collaborative pianist.

Soprano Laura Strickling has a warm stage presence and great ability to form a connection with the audience. Her German diction is a thing of beauty.  Perhaps the charming "Ständchen" was our favorite in this set; the melody always accompanies us on our way home. We enjoyed her in storytelling mode when she gave a convincing performance of "Die Nacht", another melodic gem. Strauss is a perfect fit for her brilliant tone.

She also sang Joseph Marx' "Selige Nacht".  Every time we hear a Marx song we wonder why his songs appear so rarely in lieder recitals. Ms. Strickling captured the romantic mood and used superb dynamic control from the pianissimo beginning to the thrilling climax. Marx' "Nocturne" gave Ms. Sugiyama an opportunity to show off some dazzling runs on the keys.

Tenor Dominic Armstrong used a gently caressing and tender tone for Strauss' "Heimliche Aufforderung" but became quite ardent at the end, pushing his tone a bit. We noticed this also in "Zueignung" when we wished he would float the top notes instead. One can be passionate at less volume!

We were quite taken, however, by his performance of "Allerseelen", another favorite of ours. On this one day of the year, the poet (Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg) can reunite with the spirit of his loved one and Mr. Armstrong appeared to be seeing her spirit and, consequently, so did we.  It was a powerful effect and an interpretation we will long recall.

The final set on the program was the perfect conclusion. Soprano Tami Petty, first brought to our attention as a Joy of Singing winner, has a voice that is made for Strauss. She performed his autumnal Vier letzte Lieder and held the audience spellbound. Three of the texts are by Herman Hesse. 

The songs are said to be autobiographical, the summing up of the composer's life. "September" contains several melismatic passages that Ms. Petty made the most of, while "Beim schlafengehen" brought out all of Ms. Sugiyama's expressiveness.

The two artists worked well together and the final piece "Im Abendrot" (text by von Eichendorff) was filled with ethereal ambiguity. The end of the recital?  The end of Strauss' career? The end of his life?

We heard five superb singers paying tribute to four fine composers. We eagerly await the next installment of Wien: Fin de Siècle on November 4th.  "Wien II" will tackle the music of Hanns Eisler's Hollywood period. It will be a wonderful opportunity to hear another side of Ms. Bachrach's artistry and to reconnect with tenor Nils Neubert--yet another favorite singer of ours.

(c) meche kroop

EMERGING ARTISTS FROM GLIMMERGLASS

Michael Sherman, Raquel González, and Michael Brandenburg

As part of Opera America's Emerging Artist Recital Series, The Glimmerglass Festival Young Artists Program presented three of their young artists who are moving on to starring roles in this summer's festival.  Raquel González will portray Mimi and Michael Brandenburg will play her Rodolfo. We would have enjoyed a duet from Puccini's La Bohéme and sat in our seats when the program ended waiting for an encore that never happened.

Please don't think that we were left unsatisfied!  On the contrary, it was a most fulfilling recital and we enjoyed hearing two substantial voices. Regular readers will recall how excited we get when we have witnessed a young artist's growth within the conservatory environment, particularly when they rise to greater heights after graduation.

Such was the case with this radiant soprano. Her lovely instrument has broadened and deepened without losing a drop of lustre or brilliance. She chose her own material and chose wisely.  One can usually tell when a singer loves the song. The trio of songs by Joaquín Turino are rarely heard and they are marvelous.

"Olas gigantes" gave collaborative pianist Michael Sherman an opportunity to create a storm in the piano and Ms. González conveyed the poet's desperation. Perhaps we are prejudiced but it seems to us that Juilliard graduates are exceptionally well trained in the art of textual interpretation and drama. Their gestures are always apt and motivated by the text.

"Tu pupila es azul" is a gentle song and Mr. Sherman's piano created gentle waves that matched the delicate coloring of the singer. We loved the typically Spanish turns in the vocal line. In "Besa el aura" we were dazzled by her control of the melismatic passages.

She also showed her skill with Russian, having chosen two delightful songs by Rimsky-Korsakov. In "The Nymph" the text speaks of a mystical being who does NOT kill the admiring sailor.  What a relief!  Not at all like the German "Lorelei".  Perhaps our favorite song of the evening was "Dream on a Summer's Night", a maiden's sexual awakening tenderly and passionately sung with beautiful arpeggios in the piano.

Tenor Michael Brandenburg, like Ms. González, has won many honors and prizes and has an instrument of considerable size. He sang three songs by Rachmaninoff, all repertory standards, with a great deal of muscle. "Spring Waters" seemed particularly apt after the torrential rains New York recently experienced! Our favorite is always "Oh, never sing to me again" which fills us with the pain of longing.

But we enjoyed his singing more in a set of songs by Joseph Marx, a composer we always enjoy.  We wonder why more singers do not choose his works for their recitals. Mr. Brandenburg's German is quite good and we particularly enjoyed "Selige Nacht" which gave the piano some interesting and gorgeous runs.

Both singers exhibited fine English diction and confirmed our opinion that Broadway music is far better in a recital than academic songs in English that tax our preference for beauty. Ms. González was lovely in Jerome Kern's "The Song is You" from the 1932 Music is in the Air, while Mr. Brandenburg was compelling in "Beloved" from Sigmund Romberg's The Student Prince.

We also got to hear the two singers in duets--"Suzel, bon di" from Mascagni's lesser known opera L'amico Fritz, which we would dearly love to see produced in its entirety.

A final duet "And this is my beloved", from the 1953 musical Kismet, was adapted from music by Alexander Borodin by Robert Wright and George Forrest. It was glorious and a fine way to end the recital.

The two voices blended beautifully in harmony and we predict that their Bohème this summer in Cooperstown will be a most worthwhile one.

(c) meche kroop

PURE JOY

Hyona Kim, Bretton Brown and Tami Petty

"The Bohemians" have been around for over a century fostering music in New York City.  Last night they collaborated with "Joy in Singing" to present a pair of stunning singers with a highly sensitive collaborative pianist at the keyboard.

It would seem that "Joy in Singing", only around for half as long as "The Bohemians", chooses singers of a certain type to award.  The two singers we heard last night, while having two very different voices, exhibited a commonality of quality that was impressive to say the least.  What they seem to go for is a style we much admire in lieder singing; we perceived an urge to communicate the meaning of the text with consummate expression but without fussiness.  Both singers employed tasteful gesture and facial expression to augment their story-telling skills.

At no time was vocal technique compromised.  Tones were rendered with purity and just the right amount of vibrato.  Diction was perfect with every word comprehensible; vowels were given full value without sacrificing the crispness of the consonants.  Variety was achieved by admirable dynamic control and appropriate coloration of the words.  Phrasing was always meaningful.

Soprano Tami Petty has a sizable instrument that is never unwieldy but always under perfect control.  There is a lovely lustre to it and an ear-tickling spin especially in her soaring upper register.  If ever a voice was made for Strauss, it is hers.

Mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim has a rich and chocolatey sound, one with weight and texture that never impairs her flexibility. Her long legato lines gave the German the feel of Italian without compromising her perfect diction.

The program included only two composer--Richard Strauss, about whom little needs to be said, and Joseph Marx, an Austrian born a generation after Strauss.  He wrote 150 songs in his youth, at the beginning of the 20th c., meaning that although junior to Strauss, he was composing earlier than many of Strauss' songs were composed. Sadly, few have been published or recorded.  This made their hearing even more precious.

The program sustained interest by creating a variety of moods.  Ms. Petty readily shifted gears from the rapturous "Du meines Herzens Krönelein" to the light-hearted enthusiasm of "All mein Gedanken" (texts by Dahn) to the ethereal "Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelssterne" (text by Schack).  But the Strauss song we most enjoyed was "Schlechtes Wetter"(text by Heine) in which pianist Bretton Brown created quite a storm, surpassing the rain outside the window.  On the other hand, we absolutely loved what she did with the very funny "Für funfzehn Pfennige" from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a biting argument between an importuning lover and a disdainful girl.

As far as humor goes, Ms. Kim gave a delightful rendering of "Hat gesagt--bleibts nicht dabei" from the same cycle.  Yet she could move us to tears with the sad "Befreit" about the release of death.  She impressed us equally with her delivery of the Marx songs.  In "Lieder" (text by Morgenstern), she painted lovely pictures of elements of nature, with ample help from Mr. Brown.  Mr. Brown's introduction to "Valse de Chopin" (text by Hartleben after Giraud) was glorious. The lovely "Japanisches Regenlied" delighted us as well.

Ms. Petty also got a crack at Marx's songs and our favorite was the rapturous "Und gestern hat er mich Rosen gebracht" (text by Lingen).   Ms. Petty's gift is that she brings the audience into her emotional experience, or rather the experience of the poet which she recreates for the listener.  We could smell the roses along with her and feel the rapture of being adored.  

Mr. Bretton was an equal partner in this outstanding recital.  Being less than familiar with Marx we were dazzled by his piano writing, especially in "Nocturne" (text by Hartleben) which so beautifully set the stage for Ms. Petty's singing, and likewise in "Die Liebste spricht" (text by Heyse).  Not that Strauss' piano writing was any less glorious.  The minor key arpeggii in "Befreit" were the perfect introduction for Ms. Kim's singing.

Both of these singers have been amply rewarded by the entities that grant such awards by competition; they seem destined for major careers and we feel privileged to have heard them in the intimate environment of the Kosciuszko Foundation.  Viva Joy.  Viva Singing.  Viva Joy in Singing!

© meche kroop

TAMI PETTY puts the JOY IN SINGING

Tami Petty

Since 1958 Joy in Singing has given an annual award to a singer who exemplifies the rare art of communication through singing.  This year's award went to soprano Tami Petty who exemplifies the goals of the organization.  She is a true "recitalist".

This is not to ignore the beauty of her instrument or technique but what made this recital so special was the way she transmitted not only the meaning of the text but also her feelings about it.  In this context, we were led to share her joy in singing.  And isn't that what it's all about?

Ms. Petty charmed the audience by joking about the lack of translations and introducing the songs herself. Happily, her choice of material focused on the late 19th c. and early 20th c.  Many of the songs were new to us.  We confess to a strong bias towards A.B.E. (anything but English); nonetheless, her choices in that language were just fine.  She opened the program with a set of American parlor songs--all settings of texts by Shakespeare.

Harvey Worthington Loomis' "Hark, hark, the lark" was followed by H.H.A. Beach's "Take, o take those lips away" in which Ms. Petty enjoyed the melisma and spun out a gorgeous high note; piano partner Miori Sugiyama was notable in that song.  Ms. Petty revealed her charming personality in Frederick Ayres' setting of the cute "Where the bee sucks".  The set ended with the provocative question "Tell me where is fancy bred" from Merchant of Venice. Henry F. Gilbert gave it a lovely setting.

We loved the set of songs by Joseph Marx and found Ms. Petty's German easier to understand than her English.  This is not unique to her; we experience this lack of comprehension in nearly all English material, one of the reasons we have a bias against songs in English.

This difficulty was especially prominent in the set of songs by the Canadian composer John Greer.  Judging by Ms. Petty's facial expression and bodily gesture, the songs are exceedingly funny; when we have an hour to spare we intend to look them up on the internet the better to appreciate them.  Poet Paul Hiebert wrote the texts as one "Sarah Binks", the self-satisfied songstress of Saskatchewan who has mistranslated Heine and written songs about hog calling and a mock grief-sticken encomium to a dead calf, and so on.  The irony and satire of lieder came across even without understanding most of the words, owing to Ms. Petty's dramatic skills.

Charles T. Griffes set four texts by Oscar Wilde for which he provided lovely vocal lines and some highly interesting piano accompaniment, beautifully played by Ms. Sugiyama. Again, we will need to look up the texts.

The French of Francis Poulenc's War Songs was finely handled and somewhat more comprehensible.  "Le Disparu" was about a friend of the poet Desnos who died in a Nazi death camp.  The other two evocative songs were settings of poems by Louis Aragon and dealt with the chaos and dislocation of war.

It was the final set of songs by Joaquin Turina that thrilled us the most.  The vowels of Spanish are as delicious in the mouth as those of Italian and for once we could understand nearly every word.  The set began with the piano performance of "Dedicatoria" during which Ms. Petty joked that she could have a rest from singing.  We loved the irony of these songs so well captured by Ms. Petty; they are all about love and express a number of truisms that struck us powerfully. Poet Ramon de Campoamor had a lot to say indeed.

As an encore, the artist, newly made an aunt, sang Brahms' lullaby "Guten abend, gute nacht".  Those words could also describe our feelings about this superb recital.  We had a lovely evening and the good feelings would color our happy night.

(c) meche kroop