[ABOVE: Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still; Denver Oldham, piano; Koch 3 7084 2H1 (1991); BELOW: Wondrous Free: Song of America II; Thomas Hampson, baritone; Craig Rutenberg, piano; Wolfram Rieger, piano; THM]
“Sequenza21/
17 January 2010
Thomas Hampson
Posted by Phil Muse
'WONDROUS FREE'
Song of America II
Thomas Hampson (baritone)
Craig Rutenberg (piano), Wolfram Rieger (piano)
THM
Tom Hampson is a fellow who isn’t easily deterred. Not content to wait upon the vagaries of major record labels and their A&R managers, he started his own Hampsong Foundation to promote intercultural understanding through song, specifically through the preservation of our own rich (and somewhat neglected) heritage of American songs. “Wondrous Free” is Part 2 of a series begun last year with 'Song of America,' both of which are available through his own website at thomashampson.com. If anything, this collection is even richer than its predecessor.
“Death, as a matter of fact, is a common denominator of many of these songs (There’s nothing like a wake to bring out the best in American poets). William Grant Still’s 'Grief,' to a text by LeRoy V. Brant is in this tradition: 'Weeping angel with pinions trailing, / the white dove, promise, stands!'”
Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma compiled the Works List on the William Grant Still page at AfriClassical.com. The entry on Grief begins:
“Grief, for high voice & piano (1953). Bryn Mawr: Oliver Ditson, Theodore Presser, 1955 (#Cl3l-4l053). 3p. Text: LeRoy V. Brant. Duration: 3:00. Library: Library of Congress.
CD: Richard Heard, tenor; Pamela Howland, piano. HM Classics (1998; Ain’t a that good news?).”
American Baritone
Woundrous Free
William Grant Still's Grief
Sequenza 21/
Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma
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