rachel joselson, soprano

 Je donnerais mes jours—Songs by Gabriel Dupont.

Rachel Joselson, soprano; Bo Ties, piano. (Centaur CRC 3811; 76:58)

Gabriel Dupont (1878-1914), born in Normandy, received his musical training at the Paris Conservatory, first in organ, then in composition with Charles-Marie Widor. His songs should appeal to listeners who enjoy Fauré. The harmonic idiom is similar, with its strings of unstable chords sidling through stepwise progressions, almost like a kinder, gentler Wagner. Occasionally, Dupont ventures further afield: a hint of Debussyan whole tones in "Le Baiser" and "Le Silence d'eau;" stark, granitic dissonances that set the bleak stage for "Journée d'hiver."Dupont's conceptions are imaginative, especially next to other settings of the poems: the rolling 6/8 swing of his Mandoline is markedly different from the better-known, "plucking" Fauré version. The opening invocation of "La Chanson de Myrrha" reminded me of Lakmé's "Bell Song," though in a much more reasonable register. The settings are remarkably smooth, not just in the standard French way of eliminating strong accents, but in projecting the sense of the text "across" the strophes, which you don't always hear as distinct entities. Dupont concludes quite a few of these songs by repeating the first verse, with the same or similar music; at first, this rounds matters off nicely, but eventually becomes an irritating tic. Rachel Joselson, who teaches at the University of Iowa, lavishes a warm, inviting, even luscious tone on this beautiful music. Some of her French vowels "cover" more than I'd prefer—making the printed texts helpful—but she inflects the language naturally, timing and articulating the syllables with rhythmic point, phrasing, as the composer does, "over the barlines." And she brings an easy, full-bodied narrative manner to the stories without sacrificing beautiful tone.The soprano offers thoughtful, well-considered interpretations as well, bringing a lovely flow and poise to "La Chanson de Myrrha," for example. She and her accompanist, Bo Ties—whose surname, the booklet takes pains to note, is pronounced "TEEZ"—evoke mystery, a sense of arcana, in Le temps de la mort des marjolaines. Joselson handles the sometimes tricky musical scansions with assurance, and finds the midrange tessitura of the "Deux poèmes" particularly congenial. On the other hand, the quiet upward leaps at phrase-endings—another regular Dupont device—don't sound entirely comfortable, and the nasal vowel in the Chanson (from the Musset poèmes) veers dangerously close to parody.Ties realizes the accompaniments with an unobtrusive dexterity. The arpeggiated patterns of Ophélia have a lovely sparkle; Annie is sprightly; and the occasional whole-tone "hand runs," as I think of them, shimmer. His tone rings out nicely as he moves into the third strophe of Mandoline. The postlude of "O triste," triste precisely balances its poignant lyricism and its stoic spareness.Note that, although the actual CD is available from Amazon more or less worldwide, the digital downloads only appear on the company's British and German sites.

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Je donnerais mes jours—Songs by Gabriel Dupont. Rachel Joselson, soprano; Bo Ties, piano.

(Centaur CRC 3811; 76:58)

Copyright © 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singing 

 



 One of a musician’s most satisfying pleasures is in encountering an obscure composer and finding his/ her music to be replete with unexpected delights. Such a composer is Frenchman Gabriel Dupont (1878– 1914), who battled the debilitating effects of tuberculosis for much of his adult life and died at the age of 36, at the brink of his artistic prime. Dupont’s father was an organist, and there was a time when it appeared that Gabriel would channel his talents in a similar direction. One of his first music professors at the Paris Conservatoire was Jules Massenet, and one wonders if Massenet may have planted a seed for Dupont to consider composition instead. Dupont eventually made the shift and was mentored for several years by Charles-Marie Widor, one of the most celebrated organ composers of the time. Before long, Dupont was exploring various genres and winning competitions with his music. 

He made an especially big splash with his opera La Cabrera, a work squarely planted in the overwrought passions of verismo. (The opera is most readily heard in a rather raw and rough live recording on the Bongiovani label; it is one of those recordings in which the shortcomings of the performance, which are many, tend to underscore the flaws of the opera itself.) Dupont would go on to compose three more operas after La Cabrera, and they dem- onstrate his growing assurance with the genre. As of this writing, a performance of his final opera Antar is avail- able on YouTube. It is a searing and even savage score that calls to mind such disparate influences as Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Janacek, while retaining its own unique voice. One weeps at the rich promise of the man who composed it but who did not live to see it performed. 

What is so remarkable about Dupont is that the same man who composed operas of such relentless passion and intensity could also produce music of breathtaking refinement and polish. Pianist Bo Ties knows this as well as anybody, having recorded all of Dupont’s piano music in a two disk set for MSR that garnered much attention and praise upon its 2019 release. One hopes for the same sort of attention to be given to this stunning recital that gathers together a generous survey of twenty-seven of Dupont’s finest songs, including five that are unpublished. These are works of impeccable crafts- manship and exceptional sensitivity. Dupont writes lovingly and thought- fully for the human voice, sculpting scrumptious melodic lines in which any singer would take delight. His harmonic palette is rich and varied, with hints of modern flavors that would become much more pronounced in the songs of Honegger and others who came to prominence a decade after Dupont’s death. Another hallmark of many of these songs is that they have a certain clarity and focus that contrast with the sort of hazy aimlessness that some French music of this period exhibits— or seems to exhibit upon first hearing. Above all, Dupont seems to revel in the telling of stories, the painting of pictures, and the unapologetic conveying of human emotion in all its complexity. Nothing is veiled here. 

There are too many highlights to enumerate. The disk opens with Poèmes d’automne, which the liner notes tell us are the best known of Dupont’s songs. They represent one treasure upon another, each of these eight songs creating its own vivid world while maintaining a sense of a coherent whole. This work easily stands with any other song set in the French language. Another highlight is Dupont’s setting of Paul Verlaine’s “Mandoline” that is every bit as fresh and delightful as Fauré’s much more famous song. For something more haunting, there is “La chanson de Myrrha,” excerpted from Dupont’s award winning cantata Myrrha. For a song to demonstrate the adage that “less is more,” look no further than this. Unlike some collections of French chansons that lose themselves in shimmering mists, this disk nicely balances such exquisite miniatures as “Le Baiser” (The Kiss) with rollicking romps such as “Chanson des noisettes” (Song of the hazelnuts). 

The singer at the heart of this impressive recording is soprano Rachel Joselson, who has her lovely voice under perfect control through all twenty-seven songs. Her consummate musicality gives pleasure at every turn, and she rises to every musical climax with easy radiance. Bo Ties manages to weave one magic spell after another, setting the mood of each song with breathtaking perfection. He is also responsible for the illuminating program notes that introduce us to the composer as well as to the songs contained in this collection. Full texts and translations also are included. One wishes only that the liner notes had clarified which of these songs (if any) were receiving their first recordings. For anybody interested exploring largely unknown repertoire, there is much “buried treasure” to enjoy here.

-Gregory Berg

Journal of Singing,

January/February 2021 Volume 77, No. 3, pp. 455–459

Copyright © 2021 National Association of Teachers of Singing

 

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Ich Denke Dein: Songs and Chamber Works by Nikolai Medtner. Rachel Joselson, soprano

Sasha Burdin, piano; Scott Conklin, violin

(Albany TROY1757; 71:39)



One of the greatest joys that music affords the inquisitive and intrepid listener is the revelatory excitement of encountering marvelous music for the first time. One is likely to experience that joy again and again in listening to the release at hand, which features a generous sampling of art songs by Russian composer Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951) is similar to Frederic Chopin in that all of his compositions were for piano in one way or another; the closest that either of them came to writing a full-fledged orchestral work was in Chopin’s two and Medtner’s three piano concertos. Otherwise, their abundant gifts were focused entirely on solo piano works, chamber pieces involving piano, and piano-accompanied art songs.In the case of Chopin, his art songs numbered only nineteen, and they are charming yet inconsequential works that scarcely hint at the scope of his genius.

By contrast, Medtner composed more than 100 vocal works, and they represent a veritable treasure trove of greatness that deserves to be much better known. Sadly, they remain largely unknown even to most art song connoisseurs. Indeed, neither Medtner nor any of his works score so much as a mention in Carol Kimball’s indispensable Song: A Guide to Art Song Style and Literature, by far the finest single volume book devoted to art song repertoire. This is not an oversight on her part; there is only so much room in such a book and there are bound to be unfortunate omissions.

One reason for Medtner’s obscurity may be that his works are split more or less evenly between songs in Russian and German, which probably dissipated the impact that he might have had if he had fo- cused on one language to the exclusion of the other. It may also be that the significance of Medtner’s piano music attracted so much attention that not much was left for his songs. One hopes that this excellent collection will generate new attention and excitement for Medtner’s marvelous songs.  Medtner demonstrated impressive pianistic prowess from a very early age and flourished under the tutelage of his mother, who was his first piano teacher. By the age of twelve, Medtner was studying at the Moscow Conservatory and turning heads as one of the most gifted and versatile pianists of his generation. Eventually, Medtner chose to focus most of his time and energy on composition, and he eventually created an impressive body of works that included fourteen piano sonatas as well as a set of 38 Skazki (Tales) that revealed a unique and distinctive compositional voice.Medtner may have learned piano from his mother, but it was from his father that he first was exposed to the wonders of great literature. Medtner’s father was particularly interested in German literature and philosophy, with the writings of Goethe holding special fascination for him. That he made a point of sharing this love with his son helps explain not only Nikolai Medtner’s love of art song, but also explains why almost half of his songs would be settings of German rather than Russian texts. He would eventually compose 108 songs, and although they did not attract the same attention as his piano music, they were appreciated by many singers for their fine craftsmanship and distinct freshness.

In the last five years of his life, Medtner was able to make recordings of many of his works under the auspices of the newly formed Medtner Society. Nikolai Medtner may not have been physically present for this new recording, but one can almost sense his vividpresence and inspiration in the proceedings. Soprano Rachel Joselson and pianist Sasha Burdin perform these songs with an irresistible combination of unbridled passion and meticulous polish. Joselson’s voice is just the kind of rich and vibrant instrument that one wants in such succulent music. Her sound is powerful and beautiful in every register, and it rings out easily in the high-flying climaxes that Medtner so often serves up. She is also adept at spinning softer sounds with poise and evenness when called upon. Sasha Burdin is a marvelous collaborator, and one especially appreciates his work in the more flamboyant songs that call for the technical chops of a concert pianist. What is especially impressive, however, is the perfect sync between these two musicians. Even in the most difficult of these songs, there is not even a hint of uneasiness. They perform as one.  As for the songs themselves, Mr. Burdin says it well in his illuminating program notes when he observes how the vocal line and piano accompaniment are seamlessly intertwined. Such is not always the case when “piano composers” branch out into song- writing. How often has one heard an art song that sounds much more like a piano solo to which a vocal line has been unceremoniously attached. None of these songs have that sort of patched together, hybrid quality at all; each sounds as if it had been conceived as a coherent whole. Medtner also writes as though he has an excellent grasp of how the human voice works; almost never does he make unreasonable or unworkable demands on the singer. Most impressive of all is the composer’s bold responsiveness to these widely varied texts and the fresh ways he finds to bring the texts to life. Some of these songs are gently reticent and spare, while others are almost impossibly lush. A perfect example of the former is “Wandrers Nachtlied,” in which Medtner manages to cast a haunting spell as though he is an artist creating an image with as little paint on the canvas as possible. For an example of the latter, one should listen to the torrential passion of “Sie liebt mich,” which recalls the most impassioned songs of Liszt and Strauss. Similarly intense is “Zimniy vecher,” the one song on the disk that features a Russian text. The title may mean “winter evening,” but it features some of the most fiery music that Medtner ever composed, and the performance it receives here is nothing short of ferocious.Special mention should be made of the wordless vocalises of Medtner’s opus 41, which sound remarkably theatrical; this is due to the composer’s highly effective music as well as Joselson’s impassioned singing of them. These praiseworthy performances are captured in vivid sound. Full texts and translations are provided along with program notes that discuss the composer’s life as well as his legacy as a song composer. One could not ask for a better introduction to this accomplished composer’s songs.

-Gregory Berg,

Journal of Singing, November/December 2019

Volume 76, No. 2, pp. 239–244

Copyright © 2019 National Association of Teachers of Singing

2016 

Songs of the Holocaust

Rachel Joselson, soprano; Réne Lecuona, piano; Scott Conklin, violin; 

Hannah Hohlman, cello

Albany Troy 1627

 
It has been more than 70 years since the fall of the Third Reich, but there is ample evidence that the fear and hatred which spawned it is still very much with us. That sad, disconcerting reality makes it all the more important that we continue to remember the devastation of the Holocaust and its incalculable human toll. It is also important to remember the stories of those brave souls who found themselves engulfed in the horror but who somehow met their brutal fate with grace and courage. Among the most uplifting of such cases are the artists and composers who continued their creative work amidst circumstances that most of us cannot begin to imagine. Such stories teach us vital lessons about the nature of human courage as well as the remarkable capacity for artisticendeavor to illumine even the darkest, most sorrowful corners of the human experience.
 
One might see a title like Songs of the Holocaustand expect to experience a painful journey through one sorrowful song after another, but, in fact, the songs selected and performed by Rachel Joselson and Réne Lecuona include a surprising amount of light and hope.  That is certainly true of the enchanting song that opens the disk, Adolf Strauss’s  “Ich weiss bestimmt, ich werd dich wiedersehn” 

(I know for certain that I will see you again). In another context, this might seem like a perfectly lovely if fairly ordinary song one might have heard on stage of a cabaret about two lovers who find themselves separated but hoping to be reunited someday. When one knows that it was composed amidst the deprivation and despair of Terezin by a composer who was eventually executed at Auschwitz, one cannot help but sense the heartache that resides just beneath the optimistic veneer of this anything but an ordinary song.  
 
It is an ideal way for this powerful journey to begin. That journey includes a traversal through eight songs by a gifted Jewish poet and children’s book author from Prague, Ilse Weber (1903–1944), who was also an amateur musician. These are her own texts and they convey the full gamut of emotions that a Terezin prisoner might experience, from hope to despair, bitterness to acceptance, and fear to peace. What makes these songs so disarming in their emotional impact is Weber’s charming, simple music. Most of these songs are strophic, and the musical language is tuneful and soothing, almost as though they were written with very young listeners in mind. It is that musical clarity and simplicity that allows these texts to speak so forcefully and memorably to us.
   
The set includes two exquisite lullabies that Ilse may have written with her young son Tommy, imprisoned with her at Terezin, in mind. There is also “Und der Regen rinnt"  in which she finds herself thinking about a child who is far away and perhaps has forgotten her. She was almost certainly thinking of her oldest son, Hanus, who was able to escape to Sweden on a Kindertransport, narrowly escaping the fate that befell his two parents and younger brother. Weber even includes the name “Terezin” in the first of these eight songs. "Ich wandere durch Theresienstadt" sounds for all the world like a song about someone standing on an ordinary bridge. In this case, however, the bridge is at the edge of the prison camp. “I so want to go further,” she sings, “I so want to go home!” Thanks to Weber’s touching song, we find ourselves standing on that same bridge,  feeling at least some small measure of her sadness and longing.

 
Most of the other songs on the disk were written by professional, thoroughly trained composers, and that is fully evident in their level of musical sophistication. Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944), a former student of both Schoenberg and Zemlinsky, is represented by three Yiddish songs that demonstrate his assured craftsmanship. Carlos Taube (1897–1944) was both an orchestral conductor and composer whose only surviving composition is “Ein Judisches Kind,” an exquisite song for voice, violin, and piano that makes us long to hear all of the music that would seem to be irretrievably lost. James Simon (1880–1944) is responsible for most lush and overtly romantic songs in this collection with his "Drei Lieder aus der chinesichen Flöte"

 
The only one of these composers who escaped arrest and death at the hands of the Nazis was Norbert Glanzberg (1910–2001), who lived out much of World War II in the unoccupied region of France, thanks to the assistance of notable musicians like Georges Auric and Edith Piaf. Always mindful of his good fortune and the tragic fate of so many others, Glanzberg wrote a number of pieces in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. The twelve songs that comprise his Holocaust Lieder were composed in 1983 after he read a newly published collection of Holocaust poetry, entitled 

Der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland.

It is here that we experience the most unvarnished ugliness of the Holocaust, from the suffocating ordeal of the transport trains to the sickening stench of the ovens. But there is also considerable beauty in these texts and songs, including “Alter Baum” (Old tree) that could almost be a latter-day sequel to Schubert’s “Der Lindenbaum.” Glanzberg’s soothing melodic lines call up happier days of the past, but the cello’s countermelody keeps the sorrow of the moment close at hand. The sweetest of these twelve songs may also be the most heartbreaking. “Allen Vögeln” (All the birds) has the singer asking for freedom for all imprisoned birds, sunlight for all flowers in the shadows, and that all suffering people may find hope and consolation in a thousand stars above their heads. The author of this extraordinary poem, Johanna Kirchner, was one of the bravest and most relentless workers in the resistance before she was finally arrested and executed. Thanks to this disk, her inspiring story lives on. It is fortunate indeed that these precious songs have been entrusted into the loving and capable hands of soprano Rachel Joselson and pianist Réne Lecuona. One can tell that they have given their hearts and souls to this undertaking, and they deliver musical perfection at every turn. The liner notes include an essay about the prison camp at Terezin, biographies of the composers and poets, and full texts and translations. Such a project deserves nothing less.   

-Gregory Berg, Journal of Singing,
May/June 2017 Volume 73, No. 5, pp. 577–581
Copyright © 2017 National Association of Teachers of Singing
 

There have been many song recital discs commemorating the Holocaust. This is one of the finest, both for its imaginative variety of repertoire and for the passion of its performances. Adolf Strauss’s song is a lightweight, upbeat chronicle, optimistic that long separated lovers will eventually be united. Viktor Ullmann’s Three Yiddish Lieder are weighty, classical songs, belying their simple poems. Carlos Taube’s A Jewish Child is a mournful ditty, its melodramatic character emphasized by a solo violin (played by Scott Conklin). Ilse Weber was a poet and writer of children’s books. Not a professional musician, she wrote simple melodies for her eight poems of Terezín, mostly about children. Gideon Klein’s Lullaby is his arrangement of an old Hebrew song. James Simon set three songs of Li-Tai-Po.
 
Norbert Glanzberg (1910–2001) was the only one of these composers to survive the Holocaust. He fled to Paris in 1933 and got through the war hiding in unoccupied France. A major song composer, he wrote hits for Edith Piaf andYves Montand, later for Petula Clark and Mireille Matthieu. His 12 Holocaust Lieder were composed in 1983, to poems by death-camp inmates. This is a magnificent song cycle: eloquent, lyrical, dramatic. The booklet says “Glanzberg’s songs evoke the late-Romantic style of the lieder of Schumann and Brahms.” And, I would add, their quality. I have seldom been so bowled over by previously unheard songs. One of them adds a solo cello, played by Hannah Holman.  Rachel Joselson is a distinguished artist and teacher who has sung solo roles in opera houses the world over, including the Met. She is closely attuned to all of these songs, singing with a clean, strong soprano.  Réne Lecuona  contributes bright, vibrant pianism, almost as enchanting as that of her famous namesake. The recorded sound is exemplary. English translations follow the original (German or Yiddish) text of each song, rather than being side-by-side, which is a slight inconvenience, occasionally requiring flipping back and forth between pages. With that quibble, passionately recommended.
-James North, Fanfare-Issue 40:2  11-12/16                 
 
The music is varied and interesting. Strauss’s gentle and romantic piece belies the darkness of his time at Theresienstadt and later murder at Auschwitz. The Ullmann songs here, the Drei Jiddische Lieder have a nostalgic, folk-like feel that borders on the modern, especially in the accompaniment of theplayful ‘Margarithelech.” Taube’s ‘Ein Jüdisches Kind’ has a mournful violin obbligato arranged by David Lisker.  Weber’s songs are, for me, the most heartbreaking of the program. The poetry, set in simple, direct, fashion over rolling accompaniments (some of it her own), deals directly with her circumstances. In ‘I Wander through Theresienstadt’ she asks, “when will the suffering end?” In ‘Ade, Kamarad!’ she writes, “Now we will never see each other again.” Most poignant, in ‘Wiegala’ (Lullaby), she asks, “How is the world so quiet?”  Klein’s arrangement of ‘Ukolebavka’ (Lullaby) is dark, rich, and warm. Simon’s Drei Lieder Aus der Chinesischen Flöte is harmonically interesting, with a nod towards exoticism in some carefully placed moments in the piano.
 
Glanzberg’s cycle is lovely varied, and full of warm melodies. My favorite is the gentle ‘Alter Baum,’ with its lilting piano accompaniment and warm cello accents. Performances are good. Joselson sings with legato and excellent diction, and Lecuona’s playing is supportive and clear. Conklin and Holman add warmth and depth. Notes, texts, translations.

-Erin Heisel, American Record Guide11-12/16

 Songs of Arthur Honegger and Jacques Leguerney

Rachel Joselson, soprano

Rene Lecuona, piano



“…The performers, both faculty members at the University of Iowa, make a very persuasive case for both composers.  Soprano Rachel Joselson is a solid and smooth singer, consistently satisfying and several cuts above average…”

-American Record Guide

Help, help, the Globolinks!

Madison Opera Recording



"...Mme Euterpova (sung with real shrewish relish by Rachel Joselson.

A completely charming little production which I recommend unreservedly..."

complete review available here

-Ian Lace