This is a very thoughtfully
constructed twentieth century Anglo-American
collection that showcases Barbara Bonney’s
affinities. It takes Quilter’s 1908
settings, adds the Macleod settings
of the short-lived Griffes and also
takes the very early Copland songs.
To these we can add the Britten (hardly
novel fare) and the evergreen Bernstein,
one of which songs donates itself to
the album title, and finish with the
Four Songs of Barber.
That said I was left
underwhelmed. I admire Bonney and this
new venture on the Onyx Classics label
is to be welcomed but there are some
worrying signs. I could have done without
the half catch in the voice in the Quilter
Weep you no more as it doesn’t
do to over-burden these songs with too
much expressive impedimenta. Of more
concern was a certain thinness in the
voice itself in Fair House of Joy
and an impression generally that she
wasn’t really engaging with the texts,
preferring to allow a generalised tone
to do the work. I’m afraid that her
diction lets her down throughout – try
My Life’s Delight and if you
can make out anything you’re doing better
than I am.
I enjoyed the Griffes
but then he’s a wonderfully warm composer.
The bardic drama with the deep pitch
of the piano’s bass is admirable in
The Lament of Ian the Proud and
if there are some uncomfortable moments
for Bonney she manages to convey the
spirit well, as well as Martineau evokes
time, place and extracts colour. The
second setting is more explicitly impressionist
but the third and last is bigger. The
rose of the night sees some
splendid things from this pair – her
half voice is excellent, the diminuendo
is technically achieved with great control
– but against that one feels she forces
through her tone occasionally. The Britten
settings unfortunately tend to get bogged
down and one doesn’t get the feeling
that Bonney is ever really inside them
The Copland songs were
written at the same time as the Griffes,
give or take a couple of years. Slow,
reflective, also impressionistically
tinged I came away with the greatest
regard for the final one, which embodies
a lonely abandonment. Her best and most
characteristic singing however is reserved
for Barber and for Bernstein. The Four
Songs of 1940 are impressively accomplished.
She catches something of the determined
gravity of the first, A Nun takes
the veil and brings out the romantic
traceries of Sure on this shining
nigh. She responds with quick wit
to the Bernstein, especially so in the
case of A big Indian and a little
Indian, which is infectiously amusing.
There are decent notes,
the poems are printed in full, and the
recording is warm. But it’s a hit and
miss kind of disc.
Jonathan Woolf
John Quinn was more
enamoured of this disc - review
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Barbara Bonney (soprano); Malcolm Martineau (piano)
