Modern American Vocal Works - Barber, Copland, Thomson

A beautifully conceived program, this disc brings together some of the most beloved American melodies of the modern age, such as Copland's Old American Songs. Also included are less frequently heard works, particularly the second set of the Copland cycle. Rarer still are the accompanists on these pieces, namely, the composers themselves. Barber, Copland, and Virgil Thomson provide the background for voices that engage these heartfelt fragments of American folklore with a rare panache. While some of the piano accompaniments are as plain and homespun as the texts they set (Thomson sets himself an easy job of it at the keyboard for the unexpected four-part harmonies of "Capital Capitals"), the interplay with the voices is unshakably powerful. Take Copland's Songs, here brought down a step for William Warfield's huge baritone. He is by turns forceful and restrained, chewing through Copland's clever folklike texts about simple pleasures and open spaces with a satisfying relish. Barber's more densely packed but equally seminal works for soprano are also generously represented. In Hermit Songs, Leontyne Price's technically sound yet whimsically engaging vocal color brings this deceptively accessible cycle to life. By the time the introspective orchestration of Thomson's Stabat Mater begins to percolate around Jennie Tourel's gorgeous mezzo, we gain an overview of a colorful art song heritage, revealing the timeless stories and melodies of a shared American sensibility. --Matthew Cooke