Search - Elisabeth von Trapp :: Poetic License

The surname von Trapp probably comes with some perks. On the other hand, think of the pressure: Elisabeth von Trapp has to live up to not just her immortalized singing ancestors but? Julie Andrews! Illogical, but there it is. Happily, this generation?s musical von Trapp carries her baggage gracefully, and if her voice initially recalls that of the famous British soprano, the impression soon glides into wonderment at von Trapp?s own clear and elegant tones. And with her latest self-produced CD, the aptly named Poetic License, the 49-year-old Stowe native secures her reputation as a composer as well as singer. The disc?s title is a double entendre with significant import: Von Trapp managed to win the permission of Robert Frost?s publisher, Henry Holt, to set three of his poems to music. Not only is this a rare privilege, it was considered sacrilege to many fans and scholars ? as well as Frost?s granddaughter. Many of them surely would be mollified upon listening to Poetic License, which actually employs five Frost poems ? two were already in the public domain. Von Trapp?s melodies are simply gorgeous, and only an unyielding poetry purist would not find them compatible with the written words. From start to finish, this collection is a thing of beauty; adjectives that come to mind along the way include lovely, lush, gentle, soothing, haunting, celestial. Von Trapp gives Frost?s "Acquainted With the Night" a suitably still-of-the-night calm, enhanced ever so subtly by Chas Eller?s keyboards. His piano work on "The Impulse," along with a brief clarinet interlude by Steve Klimowski, lend the song both sensuality and sadness. Two of Frost?s best-known works get livelier treatment. "Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening" revs up a bit with bass (John Rivers), piano, and guitar (Paul Asbell), straddling art song and jazz. "The Road Not Taken" channels the spirit of Django Reinhart with a jaunty, swingy tune lightly impelled by Tony Markellis on bass and Steve Wienert on drums. Von Trapp includes two instrumental originals here: "Sugarhill" features Mark Struhsaker?s impeccable flat-picking; cellist Erich Kory enriches the enchanting melancholy of "Amherst." Kory and von Trapp also pair up on a stunning version of Procol Harem?s "A Whiter Shade of Pale." The remaining non-Frost songs here borrow from such writers as Shakespeare, Sting and the 17th-century Japanese poet Basho. It?s an eclectic combination that somehow works, silkily woven together by von Trapp?s voice. Another of this woman?s talents is choosing excellent album mates. All the musicians here are extraordinary, as are the engineering (Lane Gibson and Eller) and production (Eller and von Trapp). The sound throughout is rich and intimate, the spare, highly arranged instrumentation exquisite. You can easily imagine this crew on stage at Carnegie Hall, and if there is any poetic justice, they will be. PAMELA POLSTON