Customer Reviews

The Faces of Love ~ The Songs of Jake Heggie / Fleming, McNair, Larmore, von Stade, Forand, Cao, Clayton, Vaness, Asawa

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This joyous, varied collection of the Art of the Song places Jake Heggie firmly in the vanguard of the, gratefully, increasing number of composers writing for the solo voice and piano. Recitals by the really fine American singers such as Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, Sylvia McNair, Jennifer Larmore, Frederica von Stade are more and more drawing focus to the output of the young American composers joining the ranks of the likes of Copeland, Barber, Bernstein, and Rorem. And this little gem of a disc offers a fine reason why that is happening. Jake Heggie writes accessible music (and that to these ears is not a put down!) which is wholly melded with the poetry he choses to set singing. His affinity to the works of Emily Dickinson, Edna St Vincent Millay et al is here in evidence. Heggie himself serves as the sensitive, warm collaborative accompanist to his circle of friends. How many other discs give us this much variety of voices who gathered to record this music particularly - not just excerpts from dozens of recordings? It all works. If the recording at times sounds more friendly to the piano than to the voice it may have been the variation in the setup on the day of those recordings. While all the soloists do well by Heggie's writing and collaboration, the real surprises here are Brian Asawa (rarely has he sounded so wedded to lyrics), von Stade (whose own poems are wondrously right with Heggie's touch), and McNair. But that sounds as though certain singers are singled out and that is not really possible in a program so evenly beautiful ...and fun.

With every listening the magic grows......! Welcome to Valhalla, Jake Heggie! You restore our faith in contemporary vocal music. Can't wait to hear/see "Dead Man Walking" this fall.

We first heard Jake Heggie in an interview on NPR and were intrigued enough to order this CD. It has been such a complete delight. His songs are wonderfully evocative and complex and somehow they manage to be just what you longed to hear. That a serious composer is writing such accessible and rewarding music is heartening beyond measure. If Amazon's review format would only allow a sixth or seventh star...

Buy this CD! Jake's superlative compositions are performed magnificently by a talented coterie of fabulous recording artists. In particular, check out the dynamic vocal talents of rising soprano star Kristin Clayton! A marvelous collection of melodic, mellifluous harmonies that cleave the air with heart-stopping resonance; guaranteed to grace any classical music collection with class and beauty.

Competent songs by unquestionably talented composer, well sung, but overall the effect is of mundane ear candy. It fits too comfortably into the tradition. To be clear, I'm no fan of wacky-kooky-noise songs by avant gardiste composers (Berio's vocal music is atrocious). However, this milquetoast collection is not at the vanguard of contemporary music. It conveys a good sense of drama, but lacks innovation and a spark of musical intelligence. Since Amazon has no half stars, he gets the benefit of the doubt for trying -- a "3" rather than "2" score.

I am a Classical Music Performance Master's Student and I got this CD because of the wonderful songs it has on it. I think the CD is absolutely awesome. I didn't get it for class or anything, I just love it.

The music and singing in this CD are both lovely but this CD is not for everyone. If you are expecting to hear opera type music because the singers are "opera" singers then you'll be disappointed. Instead, keep an open ear. You'll probably find that you like it.

Sometimes I wonder if it's altogether wise for opera singers to perform art songs. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham managed the feat so flawlessly on _Songs of Ned Rorem_ that one is tempted to forget a vital fact: The vocal demands of opera are very different from those of the art song. A blustering bull of a Brunnhilde wouldn't last five minutes in Faure's china shops, and I cringe to think of what a perfectly decent Heldentenor could inflict on _Die Schoene Mullerin_.

Most of the singers on this compilation of Jake Heggie's art songs are known for their work in opera. Here they have a chance to show their softer side, mostly with success. The best of Heggie's songs display a flair for reworking jazz-like rhythms and textures into rigorous compositions. In this Heggie resembles William Bolcom, another of those astonishing American composers who should be heard more often.

Unexpected pleasures abound on this recording. Heggie's harmonies are consistently challenging but never unpleasant to the ear. I wish they were more aesthetically daring, though -- beneath those shimmering surfaces, I suspect there's not much to discover. These songs seem like the perfect accompaniment to a pleasant dinner, though I'm not sure if that's high praise in itself.

One disappointment (for me at least) was Renee Fleming's histrionic, hysterical interpretation of "I Shall Not Live in Vain." (I realize this sentiment probably will not be shared by most listeners.) The song itself is sweet, deceptively simple, and perhaps a trifle schmaltzy -- the stuff of which great art songs are made (or, at least, the stuff by which art songs can make great singers). Yet Fleming ruthlessly barrels through the piece, displaying some disgusting vocal effects in the process. I think they're intentional diva-isms, but they're out of place here. Thankfully, other performances on the CD are more restrained, and effective in that self-restraint.

On the whole, Heggie is not yet a master of the art song; he doesn't consistently bring new, unanticipated dimensions to the texts he sets. Still, Heggie is audience-friendly, easy on the ears and the brain. For sheer likeability, I'll give this CD four stars.

I have never been heard of Jake Heggie. There are many famous singers sung here, that's why I bought it. Actually, I was not interested in contemporary American composer. But I listened to it, I enjoyed all the track. Very enjoyable disc.