Search - Martin, Van Dam, Ravel :: Van Dam Sings French Music

Exemplary singing by van Dam in wide-ranging recital

Nicholas A. Deutsch | New York, NY USA | 10/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""From the Sublime to the Ridiculous" or "From the Sacred to the Profane" would be good titles for this attractive program, recorded in 1990. Martin's sequences of monologues from Hugo von Hofmannsthal's play "Jedermann" (Everyman) ranks among the great cycles of the 20th century, tracing in 6 succinct, powerful songs the spiritual journey of a wealthy young man suddenly faced with the prospect of death. At the other extreme we have Poulenc's boisterous, outrageous settings of nonsensical Cubist poems by Max Jacob; in between, 2 sets of songs inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote, a mix of the high-minded and the earthy. Jose van Dam gives first-rate performances of all the works, with fine legato, excellent diction and great depth of feeling, combined with great natural reserve and dignity (and unexpected comic flair in the Poulenc). His performance of the final Ibert song, the Death of Don Quixote, is especially moving, and beautifully sung. Kent Nagano and the Lyons Opera Orchestra, and the chamber ensemble in the Poulenc, give fine support, in very good sound. A reservation: to my taste Nagano is overly Romantic in parts of the Martin songs, with overemphatic brass and excessively "expressive" string playing - this composer's music fares best when there is a balance between emotional fullness and austerity (van Dam certainly captures this in his singing). Texts for all pieces, translations for all but the Poulenc (heavily dependent on French word-play) and lively notes by Roger Nichols. A fine album."

A singer's singer

D. MCGOVERN | New Zealand | 11/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jose Van Dam is in splendid voice on this interesting collection of songs by 20th century composers. The warm recording quality beautifully complements Van Dam's rich baritone, and Kent Nagano conducts with great empathy throughout.I didn't especially care for Frank Martin's songs, but the remainder of the disc was a pleasure. Martin's music - to my ears at least - is not strong on melodic convention, especially in comparison with Ravel and Ibert, two of the other composers represented here. It's fascinating to compare the two sets of songs written specifically for the 1933 Don Quichotte movie project (which, incidentally, starred Chaliapin). Both Ravel and Ibert submitted songs for the movie without knowing the other was involved, and it was to Ibert's considerable embarrassment that his songs were chosen over the efforts of his mentor. But he needn't have worried. The Ibert songs are sublimely orchestrated, and ultimately have the melodic edge over Ravel's pretty but standard efforts. Van Dam sings them all with his customary attention to the phrasing, and his warm, satisfying baritone. I was particularly moved by his singing of Ibert's Death of Don Quichotte, and few listeners will be unaffected by his sustained and heartrending "Ah!!" during the concluding bars of this song. Van Dam has recorded these songs before with piano only, but here his singing is even more finely nuanced and affecting.The cheeky songs by Poulenc that conclude the CD are great fun, and Van Dam makes the most of the comic opportunities provided.All in all, a great disc and a fine souvenir of an often-overlooked singer."