Calgary-raised baritone Daniel Okulitch released a wonderful album of new American art songs in 2011 that recently received a wider re-release. Because there are premieres of two new Canadian art-song cycles today that come from a similar tonal aesthetic, I thought it would be worth mentioning Okulitch’s fine work.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
Okulitch’s album features 29 pieces by the current masters of the art song (and opera) in the United States: Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Glen Roven and Lowell Liebermann. The composers are each at the keyboard to support Okulitch, which also tells us that these are interpretations that serve as a standard for anyone else who wants to tackle them.
Not that Okulitch’s fine work — and gorgeous, dark-chocolate-mousse baritone — isn’t recommendation enough. Each song is elegantly phrased and carefully shaped. Okulitch is in the prime of his vocal life, and the subtlety of his artistry just keeps growing.
Gordon’s Quiet Lives cycle of eight songs sets the album off in a contemplative mood. The texts come from a variety of poets, including two poems by Dorothy Parker.
Glen Roven’s 15 Songs from the Underground is the most substantial set, and also the most rhythmically and tonally adventurous (which isn’t saying much in the context of this album). The poetry spans several centuries and somehow feels disjointed when heard as a whole.
One of the problems with the album presentation is that there isn’t a shred of information about the pieces Okulitch is singing, so the listener has to go searching on Google for answers to questions.
Lowell Liebermann’s three exquisite Night Songs conclude the song cycles.
The audio quality on the album is a bit uneven, and the piano often sounds like something cheap and digital — but that may just be bad microphone placement.
In the middle of the disc sits my favourite two pieces: Jake Heggie’s Of Gods and Cats. First of all, the texts by contemporary poet Gavin Geoffrey Dillard’s are brilliant. Heggie matches words and mood perfectly in the melodies and accompaniments.
For all the details on the disc, click here. It is available on iTunes, among other places.
+++
Here is Jake Heggie’s Of Gods and Cats, sung by SUNY Fredonia voice student Kristyn Christman-McCarthy, with Aillison Peden at the piano:
+++
Today’s Canadian art song premiere features new cycles by Toronto composer Norbert Palej and former-Torontonian Andrew Ager, now exiled to a farm somewhere in the wilds on the north side of the Ottawa River. Soprano Shannon Mercer, tenor Lawrence Wiliford and baritone Peter McGillivray do the honours on behalf of the Canadian Art Song Project at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, at noon.
Admission is free, but you do need to show up early to ensure a spot.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
