If you're looking for good performances, look elsewhere.
Maralyn Maddox | Manhattan | 10/11/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"William Bolcom is an intriguing composer, and for years I have enjoyed listening to and performing certain of his vocal works. I recently discovered this recording on Amazon.com and was quite excited about hearing not only cycles with which I was unfamiliar, but the composer and his wife's performance of Vols. III and IV of Bolcom's Cabaret Songs.
"Briefly it Enters" is a work of genius, given a beautifully satisfying performance by Benita Valente. The songs are wonderful, and Valente's voice is in top form. She is complemented perfectly by Cynthia Raim, a pianist of the highest sensitivity.
I wish I could be as complimentary for the other two cycles contained on this disc. "Let Evening Come" is merely okay. The performers give it their all, but the songs are simply not up to snuff. The insertion of the solo viola in place of the second voice, however poignant it might be for the composer, is merely annoying.
The true disaster on this recording, however, is the Bolcom/Morris performance of the Cabaret Songs. Joan Morris has been a few years past her prime for several years now, and it seems that no one has the heart to tell her. She squeaks and squawks her way through these delightful songs, rendering them nearly unlistenable. Bolcom's piano playing has, over the past few years, become a distortion of what it once was. He seems to find it difficult to maintain a steady tempo, and pounds away at the instrument as if out for revenge. These are wonderful songs, songs that deserve to be heard and deserve much better performances than these.
The only other recording on the market of the Cabaret Songs is "Blue: The Complete Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein" by Soprano Michelle Murray and pianist David Murray, available on Amazon.com. Theirs is a truly musical, collaborative, and emotional performance of all 24 of the Cabaret Songs. I give their recording 5 stars. As of this writing, there are no other recordings of "Let Evening Come" or "Briefly it Enters," but that is probably for the best. Valente's recording of "Briefly it Enters" can stand on its own, and no one who ever hears "Let Evening Come" will ever want to hear it again."
Benita Valente is an amazing singer
Stephanie McCoy | San Francisco,CA | 10/12/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Even though I have only been studying voice for a short time I can appreciate what an outstanding singer and performer Benita Valente is. I am in awe of her ability to create a dramatic yet sensitive vocal line. My favorite recording of her is Libby Larson's Songs From Letters. She is the wonderful thing about this CD!! I know that often one thinks of Dawn Upshaw, Kiri Te Kanawa, Renee Fleming, etc. as leaders of today's classical vocal recordings. After hearing Ms. Valente on any recordng she will be added to your list without hesitation."