Reviews

The Art of Song
Laura Strickling, soprano and Joy Schreier, piano
Ewell Hall, February 9, 2019
Review by Karen Hoy

Once in a while, I come across a singer who simply “gets it” about art song and, if the collaborative artist also has that sensitivity and experience, the evening can be spectacular. Laura Strickling and Joy Schreier's recent Ewell Concert Series recital at William and Mary was such a performance. Laura Strickling is an experienced singer, having performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and many other venues in various genres, but her specialty is art song. The fabulous pianist Joy Schreier is a prize-winning vocal accompanist and well-traveled pianist, having appeared in the same venues listed above but with other singers and songs.

The opening song cycle by Benjamin Britten was his Op. 11, On this Island (1937), his first published solo songs, with piano settings of five poems by W.H. Auden. The choice to open with the most distinguished and significant British composer of the twentieth century with some of his lesser known songs was a wise one—welcoming to inexperienced art song listeners and connoisseurs alike.

Let the florid music praise, with its bold trumpet-like passages followed by melismatic, flute-like phrases, was delivered with great intensity. Ms. Stickling's lovely, clear sound, detailed facial expression and commitment to each song engaged the audience immediately. The other songs are Now the leaves are falling fast, Seascape, Nocturne and As it is, plenty. The most striking of these is Nocturne with its daring reliance on the most economical of musical means. Ms. Schreier gave ideal support at the piano with deep nuance of phrasing.

To introduce the next set, Ms. Strickling spoke of her long experience singing Poulenc. She was obviously at ease with his unique sound and she shared this quote:

Ned Rorem [the 95 year old "dean of American art song"] described Poulenc’s interesting harmonic style: Take Chopin’s dominant sevenths, Ravel’s major sevenths, Fauré’s plain triads, Debussy’s minor ninths, and Mussorgsky’s augmented fourths. Filter these through Satie by way of the added sixth chords of vaudeville (which the French call Le Music Hall), blend in a pint of Couperin to a quart of Stravinsky, and you get the harmony of Poulenc”.

Our singer challenged the audience to try to “get all that”!

Poulenc's Fiançailles pour rire (Betrothal for Laughs, text Louise de Vilmorin) was the next selection. In the first song, La Dame d’André (André's lady friend), the dynamic contrasts indicated in the score were meticulously observed by both artists. The young man frivolously questions himself about a woman he has just met. He wonders if she will become an important person in his life. This questioning quality is indicated by the harmony and the singer's facial expression. In Dans l’herbe (In the grass), Ms. Strickling's technical skills were evident in her perfect legato and excellent French diction—not forced, but relaxed. The third song, Il vole (Stealing away), is marked by the composer "presto implacable" (relentlessly fast). The singer's crisp enunciation and Ms. Schreier's dexterous articulation were exciting to hear—they were truly one in this song.

Mon cadavre est doux comme un gant (My corpse is as soft as a glove) is a strange, eerie song about death. Is it being sung from the grave? The musical setting is subdued but lyrical, maintaining its tranquil pace from beginning to end. Perhaps the most exciting song of this group is the seductive Violon (Violin) which evokes Paris. An elegant Hungarian restaurant on the Champs Elysée is the setting of the poem. A refined lady is entranced with the Gypsy violinist who serenades her. As the song unfolds she becomes increasingly tipsy and more enamored of the violin and its player. Yet the characters remain elegant and refined throughout. The artists presented this song with a controlled sense of voluptuousness. The last song Fleurs (Flowers) offers a deep melancholy. A woman burns souvenirs from a romance that has ended but, at the same time, lovingly remembers the relationship. The song's calm tempo and stunning vocal line create a mood of quiet reflection and sensuality. The translations of these poems in the program were by Ms. Strickling.

After a short intermission we heard the challenging tour de force Try Me, Good King by Libby Larsen. The five songs are based on the last words and gallows speeches of the wives of Henry VIII. Beautifully crafted by composer Larsen, the music is unique for each wife. Changing from one personality to another so quickly requires great concentration. Ms. Larsen chose five different lute songs by composers from the 16th century (Dowland, Praetorius, Campion) and wove them into her music to reflect the emotions and experiences of each queen.

The opening song, Katherine of Aragon, is meter-less, evoking Gregorian Chant and allowing the singer and pianist to flow together, sometimes alternating and sometimes together, over a continuous pedal-point in the left hand. Both performers kept this steady, ponderous energy going in a fashion reflecting the quietness of Katherine’s personality. The lute song, “In Darkness Let Me Dwell,” is by John Dowland. In Anne Boleyn, she challenges Henry to give her a “lawful trial." Ms. Strickling expressed this challenge aggressively, contrasted with the sweetness of the lute song passage of the King’s own loving words sung to her. The pianist used her skills to great effect in expressing the bold, demanding personality of Anne. By contrast the delicacy of Jane Seymour was sensitively performed by both artists. This song contains a lullaby section reminding us of her accomplishment in giving the king his long-awaited son. Jane was not beheaded but died three days after the child's birth.

In Anne of Cleves, we have the only song written with a defined rhythm. Our singer brought a measure of flippancy to this somewhat humorous song. In judging the Queen’s case, the clergy had sentenced her to the position of King Henry’s “sister,” since the marriage was never consummated. The sing-song rhythm expresses the ridiculousness of Anne's position. The composer adds the direction “winking” to that phrase. Katherine Howard was another matter. Katherine had had several liaisons before she married Henry, and after their marriage she continued her affair with Thomas Culpeper to whom she had been engaged. They were both sentenced to death. The frantic expression of her intense fear and guilt was sung with fast, loud, scale-like passages into the upper range of the voice. The artists took a brief respite after the intensity of this final song. Understanding the sung texts was easy. I’ve heard this cycle many times, but never as well done and prepared as this.

The last set offered a collection of some of the singer's favorite songs. She enjoys singing two of these to her young daughter—Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit by Kevin Oldham and Lullaby for a Baby Fairy from Summer of Love by Evan Fein. Then followed Magnolia from Of a Certain Age by Tom Cipullo, a metaphor for love relationships today with memories of how they used to be…slower. Samuel Barber's Nocturne is a lovely, lyrical, neo-romantic song. Ms. Strickling's rendition of the final song, Maybe by John Musto, is available on YouTube.

Editor's note: The performers have just finished their debut art song CD with cycles by Gilda Lyons, Tom Cipullo, Clarice Assad and Michael Djupstrom and songs by Libby Larsen and Amy Beth Kirsten. When it's available we will give purchasing information on our site.