Gene de Paul:  Afterthoughts

Gene de Paul: Afterthoughts

This recording of Jessye Norman singing ‘Afterthoughts’ with Michel Legrand at the piano is remarkable. I love it—the tone of her, the risk-taking, the musical chemistry between them both and the journey they take us on. What a gift they left us… Composer: Gene de...
Ravel:  Shéhérazade

Ravel: Shéhérazade

This three-song set is equivalent to three scenes from an opera. It paints the actions of the text both in reality and in abstraction, but in its most effective way, it depicts an unyielding longing for something unfathomable or unobtainable. Ravel’s Shéhérazade...
Richard Strauss:  Beim Schlafengehen

Richard Strauss: Beim Schlafengehen

Guten Tag. I admire Richard Strauss’ music. His harmonic language, texture, the surprising subito piano dynamics and frequent lack of downbeats creates a soaring, most round eternal sound. His ability to write for the voice was extraordinary. Strauss also loved words....
Leonard Bernstein:  Somewhere

Leonard Bernstein: Somewhere

Perhaps Bernstein’s most well-known work, “Somewhere” has an inherent timeless relevance. It expresses the hope of a world in which conflict is absent and people are able to live without prejudice and hatred. Bernstein spent his entire life being involved...