A Really Beautiful Song Cycle and Really Beautiful Singing
James S. Eisenberg | 11/02/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although I generally gravitate to more radical musical sounds in 20th and 2ist century music, I still have the greatest respect for more tradition bound composers who turn out beautifully polished tonalities and can still move with great harmonic simplicity. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the Italian, later naturalized American composer was one of the best of these. His song cycle THE DIVAN OF MOSES-IBN-EZRA, a rumination on life, love, death and loss on texts of the 11th century poet, is heartbreaking and lovely. The vocal lines are gorgeous and the guitar writing is both apt and clever.
Roberta Alexander's singing is astoundingly lovely. Although her career is mainly focused in Europe, she is among the very best American born sopranos.
Dutch guitarist Dick Hoogeveen is the superb accompanist.
The fillers for guitar solo are attractive without approaching the quality of the song cycle.
Recorded in co-production with Bavarian Radio, the sound quality is excellent."