Search - Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Caspar Richter, Gigi Mitchell-Velasco :: Tomorrow / Simple Songs / Prayer

Moon, You Rise Again

A. G. Plumb | Melbourne, Australia | 10/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It took me a while to come to grips with these works. I was already familiar with most of the 'Much Ado About Nothing' music so that was no effort. But I had some doubts about Gigi Mitchell-Velasco's singing and perhaps more importantly the way she was recorded - a bit remote perhaps. And the Stephen Gould singing wasn't entirely to my liking either - was it the singer or the music that didn't entirely appeal to me I wondered. I suspect it is the music but Mr Gould's timbre doesn't really help. However, as I listened to the CD a number of times my appreciation grew. After Mahler's farewell song ('Das Lied von der Erde') I wondered that Korngold could possibly have approached the same topic. And yet, for me, Korngold is the composer of self-denial - think of 'Die Tote Stadt' for example. And self-denial is often enmeshed with farewell, with leaving behind what you would really like to be able to grasp and hold. For me the song 'Moon, You Rise Again' struck a particular resonance with circumstances in my life. It is a simple piece so effective, and so affecting in both music and text. I have developed an interest in composers of this period from reading Alma Mahler-Werfel's youthful diaries and exploring some her effective lieder. Previously I had explored Mahler's works and heard of his apparent suppression of Alma's compositions so it was of interest to me to see how well this woman could really write (assuming she actually did do the compositions). Alma Mahler-Werfel famously married several times after Mahler's death and one of her husbands was Franz Werfel, so it was of interest to see on this CD that Korngold set one of Franz Werfel's poems ('Prayer'). Korngold and Alma Mahler-Werfel were apparently friends, and Korngold did dedicate his violin concerto to Alma, so the links were definitely there.It may take some time, but I suspect that the beauty and freshness of this music will be rewarding to explore."

NIce surprise

Peter van Erp | Providence, RI, USA | 01/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't know that I liked Lieder until I started to listen to this CD. Ms. Mitchell-Velasco has a wonderful balance between emotion and precision which is well suited to the music."