This new Onyx Classics release from world famous
mezzo-soprano Susan Graham gathers in nineteen songs with piano accompaniment
under the title
Virgins, Vixens and Viragos. I have most of Graham’s
recordings and have especially enjoyed her
La Belle Époque
- The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn on Sony and
C'est ça la vie,
c'est ça l'amour -
French Operetta Arias and the
Songs
of Ned Rorem,
both on Erato. Ranging across almost three
hundred years from Purcell’s
The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation
(1693) to Joseph Horovitz’s scena
Lady Macbeth (1970) this
disc covers a broad range of emotions.
Purcell’s
The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation (1693)
depicts the Virgin Mary’s torment when her twelve year old son
goes missing. This is a marvellous extended song sung in English that
really demonstrates Graham’s powerful mid-range. The four invocations
to the Angel Gabriel are most confidently done. I especially enjoyed
Berlioz’s
La Mort d’Ophélie a setting of
an Ernest Legouvé text. This is a paraphrase of Gertrude’s
monologue from act IV of
Hamlet relating to Ophelia’s
death by drowning. Graham’s agreeable storytelling avoids the
monotony that can often be found in other accounts. Goethe’s
novel
Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship)
has been a bountiful source of inspiration for numerous composers
especially the Austro/German Romantics. Graham has recorded six Mignon
settings from Goethe’s
Wilhelm Meisters each from the
pen of a different composer. Two of these are notable: firstly with
Graham’s conspicuous dark sorrow in Schubert’s
Lied
der Mignon:
Heiß mich nicht reden.
Secondly
she conveys such aching beauty in Wolf’s
Kennst du das Land
which contrasts absorbing drama with comforting tenderness. Poulenc
was a gifted writer for the voice and his song-cycle
Fiançailles
pour rire to texts by Louise de Vilmorin is highly attractive.
All six French settings vary in metre and mood with the Graham doing
full justice to their smooth elegance. Often used as an encore there
is much to enjoy in the separate Poulenc setting
Les chemins de
l’amour,
a waltz that formed part of the incidental
music to Jean Anouilh’s romantic comedy
Léocadia.
Graham is adept in communicating the meaning of the texts and as always
her facility for tonal shading remains impressive as is the quality
of her enunciation across the various languages. The only concern
is the lack of one or two stand-out songs. That said, sensitive support
is given by faithful accompanist Malcolm Martineau who never seems
to put a foot wrong. The recital has been expertly recorded producing
a well balanced sound.
Michael Cookson
see also review by John
Quinn
Track listing
Henry PURCELL (1659-1695)
The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation (1693) [7:38]
Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)
La Mort d’Ophélie (1842) [6:59]
Six Mignon songs from Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister:
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Lied der Mignon: Heiß mich nicht reden, D. 877/2 (1826) [3:40]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
So laßt mich scheinen (1849) [2:19]
Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Mignons Lied [6:04]
Henri DUPARC (1848-1933)
Romance de Mignon [3:56]
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt [2:59]
Hugo WOLF (1860-1903)
Kennst du das Land (1888) [5:39]
Joseph HOROVITZ (b. 1926)
Lady Macbeth (scena) (1970) [7:15]
Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Fiançailles pour rire (1939):
I. La dame d’André [1:29]
II. Dans l’herbe [2:21]
III. Il vole [1:48]
IV. Mon cadavre est doux comme un gant [3:08]
V. Violon [2:06]
VI. Fleurs [2:38]
Cole PORTER (1891-1964)
The Physician (c. 1930) [4:20]
Vladimir Alexandrovitch DUKELSKA aka Vernon DUKE (1903-1969)
Ages Ago [3:24]
Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Les chemins de l’amour (1940) [3:36]
Stephen SONDHEIM (b. 1930)
The Boy from Tacarembo La Tumbe del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas
La Junta del Sol y Cruz (1966) [2:50]
