WHITHER Must I WANDER
Will Liverman, baritone
Jonathan King, piano
Odradek Records
Whither Must I Wander is an exquisite recital of songs on the theme of
travel by composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, J. Frederick Keel,
Herbert Howells, Aaron Copland, Steven Mark Kohn, Nikolai Medtner, and
Robert Schumann.
The artists explain, “Whither Must I Wander is
born out of our own adventures, each song curated to tell a story
inspired by our experiences. As lifelong friends and musical colleagues,
we hope always to wander; towards new destinations, new discoveries,
new relationships, and always home to share our story. The CD takes its
name from one of the Songs of Travel by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a song
cycle that is at the heart of this release. From the trudging ‘Vagabond’
to the more playful ‘Roadside Fire’ and the radiance of ‘Youth and
Love,’ Vaughan Williams explores every bittersweet nuance of
journeying.”
The album also features Frederick Keel’s
exhilarating Three Salt-Water Ballads and Herbert Howells’ magnificent
King David. The program then crosses the Atlantic to America for Aaron
Copland’s serene At the River and contemporary composer Steve Mark
Kohn’s Ten Thousand Miles Away, which uses traditional folk song to
navigate the emotional strains of missing a loved-one far away. Liverman
and King end the recital disc with the Goethe-inspired Night Song of
the Wanderer by Russian composer Nikolai Medtner and the beautiful
Mondnacht by Robert Schumann.
Liverman, an ambassador for diversity in the arts, grew up surrounded by
gospel music in the Pentecostal Churches of Norfolk, Virginia. His
musical education in piano and vocal studies enabled him to visit the
Metropolitan Opera at age 15, a transformative moment that inspired
Liverman to pursue singing as a career, with such success that he made
his own Metropolitan Opera debut in recent years.
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