Yes, I’m woefully behind. Right to it then.
Three Poems of Fiona MacLeod, Op. 11 (1918) – The Lament of Ian the
Proud; Thy Dark Eyes to Mine; The Rose of the Night –
Charles T. Griffes (1884–1920)
Sechs Hölderlin-Fragmente, Op. 61 (1958) – Menschenbeifall; Die Heimat; Sokrates und Alcibiades; Die Jugend; Hälfte des Lebens; Die Linien des Lebens – Benjamin Britten (1913–1976)
Three Early Songs (1947) – Night; Let It Be Forgotten; Wind Elegy –
George Crumb (b. 1929)
Poema en forma de canciones, Op. 19 (1923) – Dedicatoria; Nunca olvida; Cantares; Los dos miedos; Las locas por amor – Joaquín Turina (1882–1949)
Traditional Spirituals (arr. Moses Hogan) – Deep River; My Good Lord’s Done Been Here; Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child; Walk Together Children
This was another of the Carnegie Neighborhood Concerts series, a great, free cultural scene here in NYC. OK, first thing right off the bat. All 20th century—not sure that’s the best programming for a debut New York recital. The concert also included American composers. But just too many. The first Griffes piece was moody, with a wispy accompaniment. It was not my favorite of the group. The second had a setting that I didn’t really care for, as it made the lyrics difficult to decipher and understand. Often printed lyrics are included in this vocal series—they would have been helpful here. The third piece was relatively static (there’s that setting thing again). Even though there were fuller, louder sections, they didn’t signify much to me.
The Britten pieces, sung from a score, were performed in German (but no translations, alas). The first benefited from a nice setting. The second was gentler and pretty, then quite dramatic, leading to a calm ending. The third had a calmer accompaniment that worked a lot better for the balance between voice and piano, which is always a little difficult in this performance space. The fourth was faster and brighter while the fifth was calmer, and better for balance again, even with building up of tempo and volume. The sixth seemed to be the reason for the cycle. I liked it and the third song the best of this grouping.
The first Crumb song had an odd setting again and seemed a little bit nebulous to me. The second was better in the setting department but was somewhat on the artsy side, instead of having a more solid feeling. The third was a little more dramatic but really not all that effective.
After beginning with a solo piano section, the first Turina piece was pretty much feathery and quasi impressionistic, with the second being more of the same. The third had long vocal melismas (basically just vowel sounds) to start, and worked into a fairly dramatic setting once the lyrics actually began, providing a little more Spanish flavor, and a bang-up ending. The fourth piece was effectively presented. The fifth was bright and had a lot more character. And Mr. Blue seemed to be playing a character—the cad. I found myself wondering whether this was one of his ‘go-to’ signature pieces.
The first of the spirituals seemed to lie low in his vocal register but was relatively straightforward, vocally, with the ending in more of his higher register. New to me, the second, My Good Lord’s Done Been Here, was up tempo, and the patter-style text made it a little difficult to both hear and understand. The third was very similar to the first, and the fourth, also new to me, was very similar to the second, possibly a problem of doing all four by the same arranger.
I’m certainly glad I went and heard the songs, even if the programming was a little offbeat. Mr. Blue is a young performer who will perhaps grow into his voice and choice of repertoire. It seems to be a given to bring back artists for an encore, and Mr. Blue sang Serenade from Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince fairly effectively. I’m not totally convinced that an encore was warranted but, hey, it was his first NYC recital and there were a lot of supportive members in the audience, so I’m glad he went for it.
ConcertMeister
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