Customer Reviews

Love Sublime

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

 

 

This is an intensely beautiful album from two gifted artists of today. Here is a superb review from Gramophone Magazine that precisely summarizes the work and this album.

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Renée Flemming is a fan of the maverick jazz pianist/composer Brad Mehldau, and thanks to her Carnegie Hall commissioned this pair of song-cyles. Mehldau is a deep thinder when it comes to compositional technique and structure. Thus, while at first hearing it may seem that there's little or no tone-painting in the selections from The Blue Estuaries (based on poems by Louise Bogan), further listening reveals subtle associations. In "Tears in Sleep," for example, the vocal line slides over slippery harmonies, suggesting dreamy restlesness.

Mehldau's setting of poems from Rilke's early, angst-ridden collection The Book of Hours is more overtly descriptive. The desolate, chiming piano part of "Your first word was light" is an ideal foil for the soprano's tortured entreaties. In "I love you, gentlest of ways," the spare, hymn-like opening becomes quietly awesome, underlining the sudden weight of the line "you, the forest that always surrounded us." The bluesy, syncopated character of "I love the dark hours of my being" may come as a surprise, however - though as the harmonies grow more exploratory, the song begins to sound like an Expressionist spiritual, which is somehow apt. Love Sublime, served here as an encore, is an exquisitely melancholy mélodie that Fauré surely would have loved.

Fleming sings with plush tone and deep feeling, often sacrificing textural clarity in the process, and her swoops and swoons help bring out the connections to jazz. Her approach works, though it would be fascinating to hear this music sung in a purer, cleaner style. As for Mehldau, his playing is simply brilliant.

Andrew Farach-Colton, Gramophone Magazine

With the major record labels ruthlessly shrinking or dissolving their classical and jazz divisions these days, it was rather unique to see two new Warner/Nonesuch label Brad Mehldau CDs -- House On Hill with his acclaimed jazz trio and Love Sublime, a collaboration with superstar operatic soprano Renee Fleming -- released on the same day this week. But unfortunately, this is probably the most remarkable thing about these two albums.

Jazz-lover Renee Fleming worked with Fred Hersch and Bill Frisell on last year's classier-than-average quasi-"classical crossover" project Haunted Heart. Love Sublime is a more somber affair, with a program of Mehldau's original settings of poems by Rilke and Louise Bogan for voice and piano.

You'd like to give Brad an A for Effort here, but while his attempts at modern-day lieder would probably be well received at a composition class recital, they don't seem quite ready for "prime time." His tempos are consistently on the languid, meandering side, and the quite chromatic but not-quite-atonal murky harmonic language hovers somewhere around late Scriabin and early Alban Berg, but without the sizzle on the proverbial steak. Mehldau also avoids anything resembling a melody with a vengeance in these "art songs" -- which is unfortunate when you've got Renee Fleming on hand to sing for you.

It turns out that the most successful performance on Love Sublime, the closing title song, is a vocal adaptation of a tune from Mehldau's excellent Places album. I'd love to hear more arrangements like this performed by this dynamic duo instead.

Darn. Make that double darn.

I thought my expectations for this meeting were reasonably in line--I didn't expect a "Dichterliebe" or "Winterreise" but, knowing the credentials and talents of both artists, was prepared for some engaging melodies and harmonies, perhaps revealing Mehldau's love of Brahms or Mahler, and some incisive and infectious if not jazzy rhythmic accompaniment suggestive of Shostakovich or Stravinsky. What's most disappointing about the album is that after listening to it once (hardly sufficient, I realize, for an informed review), I find myself lacking any motivation to explore it further.

Mehldau's ambiguous tonalities (12-tone serialism or simply impressionistic color splashes?) often reflect the mood of a text, but rarely does the piano rise to the challenge of becoming a major player or discrete voice in the drama within the poem. Fleming deserves praise for what must have been exceptionally challenging music--melodies that are frequently elliptical, angular, rhythmically and harmonically off-center--but sometimes all of the talent, effort, and accomplishment do not add up to a moving or illuminating aesthetic result. (Why is the diva's diction, which was so clear on "Haunted Heart," so difficult to understand here? I frequently converse with a "classically-trained" vocalist who insists that legit singing, when done properly, should be no more unintelligible than popular singing.)

I have never heard in Mehldau's "jazz" playing the "singing" romanticism with which he is frequently associated (the comparisons with Bill Evans I would object to as vigorously as Mehldau himself does). Perhaps if the two artists had elected to go with a less abstract, more programmatic narrative/dramatic text, such as those favored by Shubert/Schumann, the result of this quest for a Love Sublime would have been more focused, purposeful, and inarguably successful as a shared experience. (I notice that even the "favorable" reviews speak more to the "project" than to the music itself. Was anyone "moved" by it?)

This record is a revalation. Anyone who loves Ms. Fleming's singing as much as I do should get this record, and any fan of Mehldau will find it indispensable. The songs are all about melody - right from the first Rilke setting, 'Your first word was light', where Ms. Fleming begins alone and sets the tone for the record. I'm partial to the way Renee Fleming sings Strauss - as in her recent wonderful recording of "Daphne". For this record, maybe think: soaring melodies of Strauss meet harmonic language informed by 20th century classical music, a dash of pop music and jazz tonality, and Mehldau's own unique take on harmony. But even that is reductive. How anyone could hear Berg or Scriabin, as in the above review, is anyone's guess. A good starter and a high point of the record is 'Extinguish my eyes...' I've never heard anything like this before. It's an art song, but it also is informed by the sensibility of a great pop ballad in the rollocking piano part. Ms. Fleming's high B on the word 'blood' is one of the most exciting, moving musical moments I've experienced in a long time on record - she owns this song, and Mehldau really gave her something to chew on here and elsewhere on the record. The music is certainly tonal, but not derivative in the least. On the contrary, it is refreshing to hear music that is not weighed down by a pre-existing genre - there's no hint of a system of writing here, like twelve-tone or some other academic, formulaic approach that has been exhausted. This is music for now. Far from being academic, it shows a composer with a vital, mature voice. The piano part, to my ears, sounds like a real work-out as well - I may buy the sheet music of these songs that is available on Mehldau's website just to see how some of it is actually notated. Apart from that, again Ms. Fleming's performance should not be missed - her interpretation of the texts, her vocal performance itself - the whole package - well, there's truly some sublime music making taking place here.

I rarely review a c.d. with less than four stars. I review singers, and I see no point in thrashing or gently thrashing someone who is relatively unknown to the public at large.

But Renee Fleming is one of the top opera singers in the world (and with her foray into the popular arts, with last year's "Haunted Heart", really one of the top singers, period); and Brad Mehldau one of the top jazz pianists. Anything they do together commands attention, good bad or ugly.

And this c.d., consisting of Mehldau's original music to poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (and three more in the same vein by Louise Bogan), done as artsongs, is a vast project.

But I recall a saying I first learned when I was very young: Never start vast projects with half-vast ideas. And, I fear, that's what has occurred here.

There are two basic things about this c.d. to which I object:

1) These are English translations of Rilke's Love Poems to God. To these American ears, I understood about 20% of what Ms. Fleming sang. When I'm striving to figure out what she's communicating (and the message is difficult and multi-layered, as here), I'm thinking she'd have been better off sticking with the German. With her beautiful, soaring voice, Ms. Fleming is able to communicate the meaning of her words; and that meaning comes through better if I'm not concentrating on what the deuce she's singing about. (For example, I loved Maria Rita's "Segundo" from earlier this year for that reason; because I don't speak Portuguese, I could just concentrate on the emotion in her voice, and it got to me)

2) Mehldau's original music is very spare, very austere. That is certainly appropriate for this project. But it's constant. Nothing swings here; nothing soars; nothing sighs; nothing whispers; nothing shouts; and absolutely nothing is the least bit catchy. Dismiss me as one too stuck in the romantic and post-romantic era, if you must. I'm not saying that artsongs have to sound like they were composed by Brahms; but when track one sounds exactly like track three, which sounds exactly like track seven, I start to lose patience. Musically, the best track is #11, the title track (with words not by Rilke or Ms. Bogan, but by Mehldau's wife, Fleurine); but by that time, I feel like I'm listening because I have to.

I give this 3 stars because I think it's important for jazz musicians to do projects like this, that take the artform beyond covers of "Love For Sale." And the record will reflect that I adored Luciana Souza's "Neruda" and Patricia Barber's "Mythologies", to name but two intellectually challenging examples. I don't love this. Sorry. RC

This album is an amazing work of art. Renee Fleming is breathtaking and it is an enormous treat to hear an artist of her magnitude tackle this fresh and exciting new material.
Mehldau shows a whole new side of himself with these intricate beautiful compositions.
The songs grow on you with and with each listening the understanding of their unique musical universe reveals itsself and leaves a deeper imprint.
A true pleasure for the advanced listener-
a must have!

Renee Fleming is an artist bringing us something new, and beautiful. The poor will always be with us as manifest in those who resent other's movement from their established zones. Renee Fleming is a great female voice with accomplishments her detractors will never have, but in their dreams.

I welcome Renee's elan demonstrated with her recent recordings Love Sublime with Brad Mehldau, and Haunted Heart with Fred Hersch and Bill Frissell. Bravery, fun, and talent combined for people who are listening. Hearing long time favorites Mehldau, Hersch, and Frissell is all the more sublime.

I bought two records at the same time -- this, and "Blue Alert" by Anjani. Both records feature women singing poetry to piano accompaniment. Good as Leonard Cohen's poetry is, it's not in Rilke's league. Brad Mehldau is an infinitely better pianist and composer than Anjani and Renee Fleming is a far better known singer. I hadn't heard Fleming or Anjani before but I'm a huge fan of Mehldau. So why do I like Anjani's record so much better?

Believe it or not, I like Anjani's piano playing -- tasteful, minimalistic -- better than Brad's this time, much as I admire Brad in general. This time he's trying too hard. He should lighten up, and remember that he's a jazz musician.

And I find Anjani's intimate singing much more expressive than Fleming's operatic soprano caterwauling. Admittedly I'm not a big fan of opera -- but I have certainly heard very moving performances of Verdi, Bizet, etc. This CD leaves me cold. (It doesn't help that I can't understand a word Fleming sings. But even if I don't understand Italian or German opera, I can generally gauge the mood of what's going on. Not here.)

I do like the words to these songs and thank the producers for printing them in the booklet.

Here's my take on this unfortunate CD: Ms. Fleming's voice is excellent; Mr. Melhdau's piano skills are great; his and other's lyrics are okay. So what's the problem? The problem is that the three do NOT come together. She sings in any way that strikes her fancy, depending on the words, while he plays (strikes the keys) in between, regardless of the effect. This CD is disonnant and disjointed and the least pleasant CD I have purchased in a long time. If I could return it, I would in a flash. I'm surely never going to listen to it again. It's just plain awful!

One must remember that such artists as Stravinsky were responsible for starting riots by their "horrible" music that is now considered to be masterpieces.

Fleming and Mehladau receive prise before the CD is even reviewed. These two masters in their own art have gone forward in nearly unfamiliar terriroty, creating a work of modern jazz/art-music that has yet to be rivaled. It is a matter of opinion as to the musicality of the album, however, the depth cannot be denied by any finely-tuned ear.

Quite honestly, if you are looking for "easy listening" jazz and "beautiful" art songs, this is likely not your proverbial cup of tea. In that case, you might do well to look into some of the more "mainstream" albums by these two.

Being a lover of blended styles and genres, I adore the contrasting feelings and textures. The stark, oppenness of Mehladau's pianistic genius brings an honesty to the sound, while the smooth, full voice of the diva, Fleming, opens from deep-throated whisper to soaring angelic heights.

The skill used in bringing this music together brings me to a point of awe and inspiration. Please prepare yourself for an unusual sound when listening, but then open yourself to what is certainly a view of the future of art music.