The Art of Yolanda Marcoulescou-Stern (soprano) Volume 2 Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1828) Lindi di Chamonix - Ah tardai troppo La Figlia Del Regimento – Deciso e dunque Gioacchino ROSSINI (1792-1868) William Tell – Selva opaca Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1970) 5 Liriche > E se un giorno tornasse > Gianluca TOCCHI (1901-?) Suite; Canti di strapaese > Serenata Stornello In riva al fiume Gian Francesco MALIPIERO (1882-1973) Cinq melodies > Chanson Morave Les yeux couleur du temps Pégase Ariette L’archet CIMARA Three Songs > Stornello Stornellata marinara Vecchia chitarra Edward MACDOWELL (1860-1908) Bitte Geistliches Wiegenlied Idylle Charles IVES (1874-1954) Weil’ auf mir Ich grolle nicht Die alte Mutter Ilmenau Feldeinsamkeit John Alden CARPENTER (1876-1951) Prison Il pleure dans mon Coeur John DOWNEY Qu’en avez-vous fait? # Virgil THOMSON (1896–1989) Le berceau de Gertrude Stein Charles T GRIFFES (1884-1920) Auf geheimen Waldespfade (Schiflied) Gian Carlo MENOTTI (b 1911) Canti Della Lontananza Paul BOWLES (1910-1999) Cancioncilla Sevillana Media Luna Balada Amarilla Murio al Amanecer Don DRAGANSKI The Bestiary – Six Riddles + (Herman?) BERLINSKI Psalm XXIII + Joaquin RODRIGO (1901 – 1999) Two Songs Verde, verderol + Pajaro del agua + Virgilio MORTARI (1902- 1993) Canzone (Vocalise) + Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Geheimnis Parole Dein blaues Auge Salamander Mädchenlied Immer leider wird mein Schlummer Wir wandelten Der Frühling Das Mädchen spricht Die Mainacht Vergebliches Ständchen Wie Melodien zieht es mir Bei dir sind meine Gedanken Schön war, das ich dir weihte Ständchen Nachtigall Spanisches Lied Meine Liebe ist grün Treue liebe O liebliche Wangren Serenade Der Jäger Von ewiger Liebe Yolanda Marcoulescou-Stern (soprano) Jeffrey Peterson (piano) unless otherwise noted Dalton Baldwin (piano) > John Downey (piano) # Robert Goodberg (flute) + Recorded c1970s with the exception of the Opera Excerpts, pre 1968 GASPARO GG3-1005 [3 CDs 192.24]   purchase through CCNow

As with Volume I of this series, to which I would refer readers, this set demonstrates the consistently superior talents of Rumanian soprano Yolanda Marcoulescou-Stern. As before we open with some examples of the Bucharest-recorded operatic selections and as before we hear a voice that is small, clear, pure and intensely flexible. No heaviness or excessive vibrato attends to it, though it loses little in fervour or power. In this kind of repertoire – unlike the essentially Francophile repertoire of Volume I – we are deep into coloratura territory, to which demands she responds with technical excellence – light, agile in Linda’s Aria, no forcing of her tone in the Rossini and real flexibility and strength at the top of her compass in Maria’s Deciso è dunque and with some flourish at the end as well. As before the bulk of the set is devoted to art song; whereas before French now the emphasis is very much on the Italian and American schools and Brahms. There is no diminution of tonal or musical value in this set and no lesser identification with or exploration of the repertoire either. Her Respighi is commendably glinting and allusive – slight strain in Par l’étreinte from the Five Liriche maybe – and her Tocchi full of nuance and romantic melismas. The pleading lines of Stornello and the perky ebullience of In riva al fiume are captivating. Amongst the Italian settings the most consistently surprising and thoughtful are those by Malipiero and she responds acutely to the more elliptical element enshrined within for example Les yeux couleur du temps. Which is not to say that the forceful or almost impudent settings are beyond her because, as L’archet clearly shows, this is not so, nor when it comes to the harmonically much simpler Cimara settings is she anything other than lyrically generous. When Yolanda Marcoulescou-Stern escaped from Rumania she went to Wisconsin to take a tenured position at the University and teach a generation of students there. Her tribute to her adopted homeland in the form of these American settings reveals another facet of her musical armoury. Not all these settings are especially challenging or memorable and many still show undue subservience to European models but all are worth considering. MacDowell’s are fresh air German settings and the Ives early works, Brahmsian (Ich grolle nicht is very Brahmsian) and ripely romantic. Carpenter is rather more involving and interesting in his settings; elliptical with subtle word setting, sparse and sometimes of an impressionist cast these are settings singers should cultivate. The other settings range from the contemporary Downey – tough and exploratory – through Virgil Thomson’s accustomed whimsicalities to Paul Bowles’ splendidly inventive, rhythmically acute, colourful settings of Italian poetry. Draganski’s settings are teasing and playful, Berlinski’s single one solemn and Rodrigo properly jocular. She is accompanied by Jeffrey Peterson in her Brahms recordings. The selection is well chosen to reflect her many strengths of expression and vocal clarity. Highlights include an especially vibrant Vergebliches Ständchen, a confident O liebliche Wangren and a thoroughly convincing Von ewiger Liebe. All her accompanists prove powerfully supportive – Dalton Baldwin noticeably so in this respect – and as before full texts and biographical details are provided. If my preference is for the earlier volume it’s because the repertoire is more consistently elevated – but Volume 2 has things that are as rare if not more so. She sings splendidly, whichever volume you consider (why not consider both?). Jonathan Woolf The entire Gasparo Catalogue may now be purchased through MusicWeb   Error processing SSI file

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