From Karen:
>>Brahms: "Geistliches Wiegenlied" from his 2 songs for alto, op. 91 - you
have to have a viola or cello to do this song, but it's absolutely sublime
as a Christmas-season solo. Also, the fourth of his Vier ernste Gesaenge,
"Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete"; I find the other
three songs in this cycle much less compelling, but you may disagree<<
First, thanks for this list - there are a number of pieces on it that I
don't know that sound interesting and I plan to check into them. Second, I
have to disagree about the Vier ernste Gesaenge, which may very well be my
very favorite set of songs ever by anyone. The arc of feeling through the
four songs is extraordinary, and I think the third song "O Tod" may be one
of the best-constructed ever. And, personally, I find the texts extremely
meaningful. That said, it takes a pretty hefty voice to do justice to these
pieces - I've never been sure I had enough voice to do them, although that
hasn't stopped me. The Geistliches Wiegenlied is a lovely, lovely piece of
music, and I had forgotten it.
>>Purcell: (snip)"The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation" is also famous - I
haven't
tried singing it yet, but the poem is wonderful!<<
You should take the time to learn it. I do love Purcell, and I think this
is arguably his best song. Part of the fun of singing it is mining the
meaning from the text - it's a fun song to discuss interpretation on.
Thanks again for posting this list - you're a wonderful resource!
Lee Morgan
Mezzo-soprano
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