| Popis: |
This chapter examines Lowell Liebermann’s Six Songs on Poems of Raymond Carver (2002). This exciting cycle requires a proficient and polished singer/pianist team. Vocal technique and musicianship will certainly be fully exercised; the songs are satisfyingly meaty, oozing with vitality and assurance. The vividly idiomatic piano writing is a test of stamina and concentration, and balance between voice and keyboard is a crucial issue. Bracingly memorable texts contain much sardonic, dark humour, tempered by passages of touching tenderness. Elements of pastiche, including ‘neoclassical’ runs and repeated rhythmic figures, are successfully incorporated—the fourth song even emulates a decorative Arabic monody. Some extremes of range may tax a young, inexperienced singer, but the cycle should make a tremendous impact in performance. |
