OTHER MINDS WEBSTORE
Songs of Ned Rorem [OM-1009-2]
Originally released on LP by Columbia Records in 1964, this album features some of the most outstanding soloists of the day: Charles Bressler, Phyllis Curtin, Gianna D'Angelo, Donald Gramm and Regina Sarfaty, accompanied at the piano by the composer, Ned Rorem. The original recordings were digitized and re-mastered on a Sonic Solutions system to minimize tape hiss and other sound artifacts. The resulting clarity and brilliance far surpasses that of the original release offering a fresh look at this legendary album. Includes a 24-page booklet.
POEMS BY ROBERT HERRICK, BEN JONSON, JOHN DRYDEN AND ORLANDO GIBBONS
1 Song for a Girl (Dryden) — Gianna d’Angelo (soprano) :57
2 To the Willow Tree (Herrick) — Donald Gramm (bass) 2:01
3 Echo’s Song (Jonson) — Charles Bressler (tenor) 2:08
4 Upon Julia’s Clothes (Herrick) — Donald Gramm (bass) :41
5 Silver Swan (Gibbons) — Gianna d’Angelo (soprano) 3:06
THREE PSALMS (From the “Cycle of Holy Songs”) — Phyllis Curtin (soprano)
6 Psalm 134 “Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord...” 2:14
7 Psalm 148 “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens...” 2:11
8 Psalm 150 “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary...” 3:01
POEMS BY PAUL GOODMAN AND THEODORE ROETHKE
9 The Lordly Hudson (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) 2:34
10 Snake (Roethke) — Gianna d’Angelo (soprano) :53
11 Rain in Spring (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) 1:19
12 Root Cellar (Roethke) — Donald Gramm (bass) 2:07
13 Sally’s Smile (Goodman) — Donald Gramm (bass) :43
14 Such Beauty As Hurts to Behold (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) 2:32
15 My Papa’s Waltz (Roethke) — Donald Gramm (bass) 1:23
POEMS BY ROBERT HILLYER, GERTRUDE STEIN, HOWARD MOSS AND ELIZABETH BISHOP
16 Early in the Morning (Hillyer) — Donald Gramm (bass) 1:45
17 I Am Rose (Stein) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) :18
18 See How They Love Me (Moss) — Charles Bressler (tenor) 2:02
19 Visits to Saint Elizabeths (Bishop) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) 3:36
THREE MEDIEVAL POEMS (Anon. c. 1500)
20 A Christmas Carol — Charles Bressler (tenor) 1:30
21 The Nightingale — Phyllis Curtin (soprano) 1:17
22 The Call — Donald Gramm (bass) 1:04
POEMS BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS AND WALT WHITMAN
23 Spring and Fall (Hopkins) — Donald Gramm (bass) 1:52
24 Spring (Hopkins) — Phyllis Curtin (soprano) 1:50
25 To You (Whitman) — Donald Gramm (bass) :37
26 Youth, Day, Old Age, and Night (Whitman) — Charles Bressler (tenor) 2:08
27 O You Whom I Often and Silently Come (Whitman) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) :23
POEMS BY ROBERT BROWNING, PADRIAC PEARSE, EDMUND SPENSER AND R. L. STEVENSON
28 Pippa’s Song (Browning) — Gianna d’Angelo (soprano) 1:53
29 Lullaby of the Woman of the Mountain (Pearse) — Charles Bressler (tenor) 1:59
30 What If Some Little Pain (Spenser) — Regina Sarfaty (mezzo-soprano) 1:49
31 In a Gondola (Browning) — Gianna d’Angelo (soprano) 2:12
32 Requiem (R. L. Stevenson) — Charles Bressler (tenor) 2:00
THIS IS NED ROREM'S FAVORITE RECORDING OF HIS MUSIC
Jason Serinus: Do you have any favorite recordings of your songs?
Ned Rorem: I don't listen to my own recordings very much. I might listen to them once, just to see how bad it is or how good it is. I suppose my favorite recordings are the first ones that were ever done. That was on a big label, I think Columbia. Someone introduced me to the head of Columbia Records, and he said, "What do you want?" When I told him I wanted to do some records, he gave me to a producer, and I made a song record that was very, very successful.
I used five singers, none of whom I particularly knew. Well, I certainly knew Phyllis Curtin and Donald Gramm, but they were good. I guess that's my favorite song recording, if you can still get it.
[Republished from San Francisco Classical Voice, "Ned Rorem at 90," October 27, 2013] https://www.sfcv.org/events-calendar/artist-spotlight/ned-rorem-at-90
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