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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
American baritone sings American song, February 11, 2001
This review is from: DEBUT ~ Nathan Gunn - "American Anthem" from Ragtime to Art Song / Kevin Murphy (Audio CD)
It seems as if vocal connoisseurs are always lamenting the imminent demise of the art of classical singing. On the basis of this disc such doomsaying is seriously misplaced. Nathan Gunn is a young American baritone who has created quite a stir in the past few years, much of it for the wrong reasons. Not that there is anything undesirable in an opera singer having handsome looks and a physique that reduced even the staid New York Times to babbling about underwear modeling. What has to be said is that Gunn has the musical goods in abundance as well. His voice, while not huge in live performance, is darkly beautiful in timbre and takes most happily to recording. He also has, on the evidence of his notes to this eclectic collection of American song, an intelligent and thoughtful musical mind. The music on this disc traverses the gamut of things American, from familiar art songs, to crossover ballads, to folk song arrangements and patriotic lyrics. Familiar names from "serious" music such as Barber, Rorem, Copland and Ives rub shoulders with more popularly oriented composers such as Gorney, Scheer and Bolcom. Gunn sings it all with a seemingly endless flow of beautiful sound, sensitivity to words and changing moods, and above all, evident love of the music. He encompasses the biting humor of "Black Max (Bolcom)," the bluesy lament of "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime (Gorney)," the grandiosity of "General William Booth Enters into Heaven (Ives)" and the tenderness of "Sure on this Shining Night (Barber)" with equal ease. With such a refulgent top voice, it is understandable that one or two keys seem to have been chosen to display high notes rather than for ideal ease of expression and diction. Also, pianist Kevin Murphy, while accurate and sensitive, frequently seems less than fully engaged in the music making. This may be a fault of the somewhat distant recording ambiance which keeps the piano decidely in the background. Still, these are quibbles. Nathan Gunn, the American song, and most important, the art of singing all emerge as winners on this superb album.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just A Beautiful Voice!!!!!!, May 24, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: DEBUT ~ Nathan Gunn - "American Anthem" from Ragtime to Art Song / Kevin Murphy (Audio CD)
Nathan Gunn has proven, in only a short time, that he is an artist to be reckoned with. He is arguably one of the most beautiful baritone voices to be heard in this century and his artistry is mature despite his young age. His voice has depth and beauty but soars lyrically with a proficiency often lacking in many baritones in his repertory (which is vast). His lieder work has the style and inflection hoped for in any concert work. Moreover, unlike many young lieder singers out there, he avoids the temptation to imitate Fischer-Dieskau stylistically and vocally. His opera work is dynamic and musical. With the looks of a young Sean Connery, he steps onto the stage and the eyes and ears couldn't be more pleased. His singing is lacking nothing. Bottom to top, he quite simply does it right. No messy technical terms and opera babble.... He just sings right. This, coupled with an innate musicality, makes for a musical experience that will set new standards for singers young and old. This CD gives people a chance to hear Mr. Gunn singing 20+ songs of a musical variety that impresses. It also gives a chance to hear him sing in his native tongue,(a particular treat with any singer) making it a CD which is enjoyable for even those people who feel unable to identify with classical vocal music. The music is lovely. The title song alone, written by very talented composer Gene Scheer, is likely to rekindle long-dormant feelings of nationalistic pride in any American. This will bring hours of listening pleasure.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing recordings, January 1, 2006
This review is from: DEBUT ~ Nathan Gunn - "American Anthem" from Ragtime to Art Song / Kevin Murphy (Audio CD)
I first listened to this recording at the recommendation of a voice teacher and I am eternally grateful. I strongly recommend this album. Nathan Gunn is an extremely talented singer. As a singer myself (also a baritone like Nathan Gunn) I find much in his voice to model.
Nathan Gunn has an extremely beautiful voice, superb technique and execution, and has a very natural sound. There is an old steriotype of opera as sounding forced or artificial, but Nathan Gunn does a great job of avoiding this. He does a great job of communicating the "story" of the song to the listener, and I frequently found myself taken to the world of the song. Listening to many of his songs are like opening a good book and Nathan Gunn takes you there.
Highly recommended.
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