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William Bolcom (Composer), Cole Porter (Composer), Percy Grainger (Composer), Lesley Pryde (Performer), Laura Leon (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Lesley Pryde, Laura Leon
• Composer: William Bolcom, Cole Porter, Percy Grainger
• Audio CD (August 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00005OBD7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,983 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lee Hoiby: The Serpent

2. Richard Hundley: Come Ready and See Me

3. Cole Porter: The Tale of the Oyster

4. Percy Grainger: Early One Morning

5. William Bolcom: Song of Black Max

6. Stephen Schwartz: With You

7. William Bolcom: Lime Jello, Marshmallow, Cottage Cheese Surprise

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad I don't live in Australia., January 12, 2007

By 

Stanley D. Wolfersberger (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out and About (Audio CD)

While I can appreciate that some may be enamoured with the repertoire presented here (as, truly, the selections on this disc are all excellent in their own right), I simply cannot get past the absolutely grating cacophony of noise that this soprano produces.

Yes, "The Serpent" is a poem (by Roethke) intended for children. And quite possibly, Hoiby would approve a performance that is a bit less stuffy than the average classical voice recital in favor of one more on the "giacoso" side. What is, however, not forgiveable is the deafening use of straight tone and sheer shrill of any pitch above C5.

"The Song of Black Max" features "rubatic" liberties that should not be taken. The character of the piece relies on a careful examination of the score: Bolcom didn't choose note values arbitrarily for fun; he penned a specific formula that when followed correctly (much like a cake recipe) produces a desirable end result. To mess with it ruins everything.

And Hundley should be beautiful, not piercing.

Finding an alternative to this disc would be great, but it's just not easy enough to do. On the Bolcom side, you should keep an eye out for the Marc-André Hamelin/Jody Applebaum recording. For the Hoiby, you'll probably have to check out student recitals at your local music college. (It's regrettable that Leontyne Price did not record The Serpent, but you can find other songs from "her" set on such albums as "Price Rediscovered.")

That said: two stars for a nice selection of rep and an attempt (however distasteful in my view) at an original interpretation. To give any higher a rating would be an injustice to mankind.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great music, horrible voice, January 21, 2007

By 

Paula O'Buckley (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Out and About (Audio CD)

As the previous reviewer points out, the choice of music is fantastic, and would be a lovely program. Ms. Pryde, though, ought not sing until she works out her vocal problems, of which there are many. The straight tone, often landing south of the pitch, is absolutely frightful. It smacks of serious vocal pathology. I also question the genre-style of attempting chest voice to such high registers wherein the voice cannot sustain it properly. Proper coaching and editing could have elminated the poor pitch issues (the ascending tones of the Schwartz comes to mind), but the vocal problems overshadow it all. Ms. Leon's piano is lovely, and very sensitive, but alas, poorly matched in Ms. Pryde.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful CD, November 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Out and About (Audio CD)

I think this cd is wonderful and that you should all buy it!!