Letters, Songs for Voice and Guitar by Britten, Argento, Duarte; Weir, Tenor, and Niehusmann, Guitar

Lieder for voice and guitar are relatively rare in the modern repertoire. Guitarist Volker Niehusmann and tenor Scott Weir have put together a nice collection of them, with Benjamin Britten's song cycles "Folksong Arrangements" and "Songs from the Chinese, op. 58" and one each by Dominick Argento ("Letters from Composers") and John W. Duarte ("Five Quiet Songs, op. 37). All this on the CD Letters (Dreyer Gaido 21078).

Weir has an elocutionally exact, powerful bell-like tenor with the sort of finesse of a Peter Pears. This makes him especially suited for Britten's songs, but no less effective with Argento and Duarte. Niehusmann is impeccable in executing the guitar parts, which necessarily have an accompanying role and do not tend to seek the spotlight. They tend however to be quite artful in construction.

The Britten cycles contrast, yet each exemplifies the composer's stylistic concerns--the "Folksong Arrangements" accentuating the rustic old English side Britten spiced his operas with, the "Songs from the Chinese" favoring the abstract declamatory side so prominent in much of his vocal work. They will satisfy the thoroughgoing Brittenite and novice alike.

Argento's cycle is most unusual in that it uses as text letters written by Chopin, Mozart, Schubert, Bach, Debussy, Puccini and Schumann. Both it and the Duarte cycle have a straightforward yet contemporary quality that go well with the Britten.

All in all this is very well done and rather exotic fare. Britten, guitar and contemporary lieder enthusiasts will have much to savor with the CD. Recommended.

Sprezzatura, Shelly Tramposh, Cullan Bryant, Modern Works for Viola and Piano

Sprezzatura as defined in music has to do with a combination of expressiveness and freedom of tempo. Sprezzatura (Ravello 7818) is also the title of a recent album by Sally Tramposh (viola) and Cullan Bryant (piano) of a selection of modern works (for viola and piano). The album contains world premiere recordings of Paul Chihara's "Sonata for Viola and Piano" and Paul Siskind's "Etwas fur Bratsche (etwas rasche!)". Filling out the program are Britten's "Lachrymae" and Hindemith's "Sonata for Viola and Piano".

The title of the album seems apt, as Shelly Tramposh's solo style is, somewhat like the late Joseph Szigeti on violin, concerned a bit more with expressiveness than beauty. So she turns out to be well suited to the Hindemith, for example, which is more dramatic and stirring than lyrical and sweet. The same could be said for the Britten. The Chihara and the Siskind are perforce new to us in recorded form, but Tramposh and Bryant bring out the bittersweet qualities of the former and the chromatic dash of the latter in good ways.

Cullan Bryant sounds equally expressive throughout at the pianoforte. In tandem the two make a worthy interpretive statement on each work. I've heard the Hindemith played somewhat more heroically, but the Tramposh-Bryant team define it more distinctly as a work in the expressionist-modern camp, where one might say it belongs, and which makes for a nice contrast to some of the other readings on disk that I am familiar with.

In the end we have recorded premieres of two works quite worthy of hearing and some distinctive interpretive takes on the Hindemith and the Britten. The Chihara premiere alone would make it worth hearing. But of course there is considerably more here as well. And there is indeed much sprezzatura to be had in these works as performed.