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Keith Jarrett: My Wild Irish Rose
The first time I listened to Keith Jarrett’s album The Melody at Night, With You marked probably the most significant point in my development, not just as a jazz musician, pianist, or even artist, but as a human being. I don’t think it made me “better” at any of those things, but I know without a doubt the experience turned my world upside-down. The album stands on top of my list of “desert island” items for a multitude of reasons, some too personal to share without you buying me a whiskey (or two) first.
Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers: Peace in the Valley
Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers is a bit of a misnomer for this first song on the album, which should probably fall under the heading of “Paul Foster and the Soul Stirrers.” It’s not that Sam Cooke doesn’t bring his trademark irreplaceable quality to the song, it’s just that Paul Foster’s unvarnished sound wrenches your soul into glorious hope in a way no one could except for Paul Foster.
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Son
‘Son’ can be translated as either “sleep” or “dream” in Russian – in this poem by Feodor Sologub, the former seems not only evident but sensually and powerfully personified. I have included this song, not just because it happens to be one of my favorites, but also because we’ll be featuring it among many things on The Art of Pleasure, Steve’s collaboration with me and four Wolf Trap singers happening at the Barns at Wolf Trap on May 31 and June 1.
Melody Gardot: Baby I’m a Fool
My dear friend and colleague Kelley Kimball introduced me to the music and artistry of Melody Gardot back in 2015, and her music became a friend to me at a time I needed it the most.
Bill Evans plays ‘Danny Boy’
I share the notion with many of you that time is money, but the 11-minute price tag on this song seems like nothing if you’re willing to sit with him as he musically figures out how to breathe again. The space, sparseness, and tender hesitation of every note he plays in the beginning unravel the knots of my heart every time, and in doing so, remind me of why I do what I do.
Cole Porter: Brush Up Your Shakespeare
We close our week of music inspired by Shakespeare with some advice from Cole Porter. Used in combination with a soft shoe number, it’s virtually guaranteed to help you secure a date for our next concert!
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Three Shakespeare Songs
Wow, there are a lot of things on youtube when you search for Shakespeare! Lots of chaff and some interesting wheat, like this dreamy recording from 1977 of Three Shakespeare Songs (“Full Fathom Five”, “The Cloud-capp’d Towers”, and “Over Hill Over Dale”) by Ralph Vaughan Williams, sung by the vocal ensemble Swingle II.
Hector Berlioz: La mort d’Ophélie
Today’s Shakespeare song moves a bit further from his actual words, with an adaptation of this famous scene from Hamlet. Hector Berlioz sets Ernest-Wilfrid Legouvé’s text depicting the death of Ophelia, here performed by Anne Sofie von Otter with Cord Garben at the piano.
Hugo Wolf: Lied des transferierten Zettel
Of course, English-speakers were not the only ones inspired to set Shakespeare’s words. Composers around the world worked with his lyrics in their native tongues, and we’ll be featuring some ‘Lyrics by Shakespeare’ in Russian and French in our August concert. Today, however, let’s try German.
Roger Quilter: It was a lover and his lass
In anticipation of NYFOS’s program Lyrics by Shakespeare, performed on August 8 as part of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, we are featuring a week of songs inspired by Shakespeare on Song of the Day. Get your tickets today!
Lawrence Tibbett sings ‘Goin’ Home’
I certainly didn’t plan it this way, but I am writing this blog post while waiting for my departing flight in the Vienna Airport – I am quite literally “going home” to visit my family in Rochester, NY. My nomadic existence as a singer is equally exciting and challenging, with the loss of a sense of home being by far the most difficult thing to deal with. I have learned the importance of bringing “home” with me wherever I travel, whether through the comfort of daily rituals, exercise, exploring, or listening to certain pieces of music.
Gabriel Fauré: Pie Jesu
There are some artists that just embody perfection when at their best. Cecilia Bartoli seems to be able to turn anything she touches to gold. She has superhuman control of her voice, especially in her stratospheric coloratura and hushed pianissimi. In this recording of the “Pie Jesu” from Fauré’s Requiem, she delicately phrases each note with a sensitive musical understanding, adding vibrato at just the right moments.
Gregorio Allegri: Miserere
After Sinatra and Strauss, now for something completely different. There is something ethereal and other-worldly about the polyphony of the late Renaissance. It has the ability to transport the listener and rejuvenate the spirit. In particular, this setting of the Miserere stops me in my tracks whenever I hear it, forcing my mind to slow down and simply absorb the music (usually with my eyes closed).
Clarice Assad
May’s Artist of the Month is the dynamic composer, pianist and vocalist Clarice Assad. Join her on Friday, May 4, when she curates and hosts a NYFOS Next evening focused on Brazilian song.
Johann Strauss: Her die Hand
My second “Song of the Day” stems from nostalgic memories of my time in Europe. After spending a summer with the Lehar Festival in Bad Ischl, Austria, I gained a newfound appreciation for operetta as a genre – particularly for the attitude and energy it takes to make operetta bubble and float. Something I love about this profession is the travel, getting to spend time immersed in different places and cultures.