Customer Reviews

Though Love Be A Day / American Celebration Duo

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

 

 

I cannot heap enough praise on THOUGH LOVE BE A DAY. Soprano Diana Guhin Wooley and pianist Richard Steinbach, calling themselves the American Celebration Duo, perform ten songs and song sets by as many composers. The music on this disc has been culled from over 100 songs submitted to the duo in response to a call for scores. All of the songs are very good; several are outstanding. The great work in this collection is Antonio Carlos Defeo's "Sonnet 23"--poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I spent the better portion of one recent morning listening to it repeatedly and weeping like a baby through much of it. Of course, Browning's text is magical, and Defeo's exquisite lyrical gift and a wonderful harmonic and rhythmic sense heighten the poem magnificently. This beautiful song rates among the best new ones I've heard in years. Several other songs merit special recognition also. Gwyneth Walker's fine setting of EE Cumming's quirky texts are captivating and enjoyable, and John Luebke's lithe "Barn Swallow Suite" should become a classic. The performances are heartfelt and the sound quality is excellent. I rarely recommend song recordings to all, but I love this disc and believe that every music lover will want to own it.

The American Celebration Duo has given us a window into the world of the composer of our day. Nothing scary here -- no serialism, atonality, or academicism. Just ravishing melody. From Gywnneth Walker's set "though love be a day" to Howard Helvey's remarkable setting of Christina Rosetti's "Another Spring," there isn't a clunker in the lot. And, the performances are fabulous; Diana Wooley's warm voice beautifully complements Richard Steinbach's exquisite pianism. Highly recommended for anybody, especially those who fear the music written in the past century.