It was through Susan
Graham’s superb 1999 recital for Erato
(8573-80222-2)
that I first really became aware of
Ned Rorem as a composer of songs. Since
then Naxos have issued a very fine recital
by Carole Farley, accompanied by the
composer himself (8.559084).
There have been other CD releases of
Rorem’s music, not least the Naxos recording
of his three
symphonies which was one of my 2003
Recordings of the Year.
Now we have another
equally welcome CD of his songs, though
one which will be perhaps more stretching
to the listener. I ought to own up straightaway
to one problem I have in considering
these songs. Two of the cycles here
recorded, Last Poems of Wallace
Stevens and Ariel set poems
respectively by Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)
and Sylvia Plath (1932-1963). I confess
that I find the poetry very difficult,
even abstruse. Thus it’s hard for me
to know to what extent Rorem has been
successful and sensitive in setting
the texts. The only thing that I can
say is that in my experience I have
found him generally to be a most responsive
and perceptive word setter. I see no
reason to suppose that his touch would
have deserted him in these cycles.
The other thing to
say about these two cycles is that the
music itself is more demanding on the
listener and on the performers than
much of his earlier work. The music
is most certainly tonal but in general
the lines are much more angular. They
feature wide intervals and the harmonic
palette is more overtly dissonant. The
collector who is well versed in Rorem’s
music will have little problem with
this, I daresay. However the recitals
by Susan Graham and Carole Farley offer
a rather easier introduction to the
newcomer to Rorem’s art.
The Stevens cycle adds
a cello to the usual piano accompaniment,
and to telling effect. Indeed, this
cycle of seven poems includes a Prelude
and an Interlude (after the fifth song)
for the instrumentalists alone. The
whole cycle plays without a break. I
think the conclusion, starting with
the Interlude and encompassing the final
two poems, is especially fine. The Interlude
itself is superb, consisting of slow,
passionate music which leads seamlessly
into ‘Of Mere Being’. The very last
song of all, ‘A Clear Day and No Memories’
is a splendid, profound creation and,
like everything else on the disc it
receives a first rate performance.
The settings of Sylvia
Plath are accompanied by piano and clarinet.
The inclusion of the clarinet seems
inspired. Its distinctive timbres contribute
significantly to the palette of colours
at Rorem’s disposal. For the most part
these are dark texts and they are treated
accordingly, though there’s overt beauty
in Rorem’s setting of the penultimate
poem, ‘Poppies in October’. The last
song in the cycle, ‘Lady Lazarus’ is
strong meat indeed, a bitter, nightmarish
text or so I understand it; see my comment
above. It is given music to match. This
song, like its companions, is clearly
very demanding on Laura Aikin and her
partners but they surmount all the challenges
set by the composer.
The opening cycle,
Six Songs for High Voice, which
was written in the 1950s, is equally
challenging for the singer, albeit in
a different way. As the title suggests
these are songs in which the tessitura
often lies dauntingly high. This is
especially true of the first and last
songs and, understandably, clarity of
diction, elsewhere commendably clear,
is sometimes a casualty. I liked the
songs very much though one feature of
the last song disturbed me. Its first
47 seconds consist of what I can only
describe as a coloratura cadenza for
the soloist before the song itself is
launched. Later (track 6, 2’38"
– 3’06") there’s a similar passage.
These must serve some purpose but, with
the greatest respect, I can’t for the
life of me see what it is. For me these
passages hold up the flow of the song.
But that’s a very minor
quibble ... and who am I to make it,
anyway? All the songs on this CD are
of very high quality though some do
no not reveal their secrets easily.
Everything on the disc will repay careful
listening. Ned Rorem has been very well
served indeed by the artists, who give
dedicated, convincing and expert performances.
Laura Aikin has a lovely, pure voice
with plenty of power when needed and
she clearly has a strong feeling for
this music.
The recorded sound
is excellent. There are notes in English
and German. The texts of the songs are
given in the sung language only. This
means English, except for the last three
songs, two of which are in French while
the third consists solely – and inventively
- of the single word, "Alleluia".
There are a couple of blemishes in the
booklet where the presentation of the
text of the first Stevens poem is confusing
and there is no title heading for the
Ariel cycle. However, once one
has sorted out what the issue is, it’s
not a major concern.
Ned Rorem is a considerable
composer and his songs probably represent
the peak of his achievement. This fine
CD is a most welcome addition to the
catalogue and is strongly recommended.
John Quinn
Laura Aikin (soprano); *Gerhard Zank (cello);
** Nicola Jürgensen (clarinet); Donald
Sulzen (piano) 
