Susan Chilcott - The Shining River (Songs by Copland, Strauss, Berlioz, Britten, Argento & Vaugan Williams)

Susan Chilcott - The Shining River

Aaron COPLAND (1900-1990)

Old American Songs Set 1

Old American Songs Set 2

(12) Poems of Emily Dickinson

The Little Horses

Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)

(6) Lieder, Movement: Lieder der Ophelia 

Hector BERLIOZ (1803-1869)

Tristia, Movement: No. 2, La mort d'Ophélie

Dominik ARGENTO (1927-2019)

(6) Elizabethan Songs, Movement: Winter (wds. Shakespeare)

Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)

Orpheus with his lute

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)

(4) Cabaret songs, Movement: Calypso

Iain Burnside (Piano)

Susan Chilcott (Soprano)

Review:

Had she lived another five years or so, Susan Chilcott, who died of cancer in 2003 at the age of 40, would surely have left a larger recorded legacy, her springwater-fresh soprano with a mezzo-ish lower range growing ever more distinctive. As it is, we have to take what we can get. A fine disc of arias, ‘Susan Chilcott in Brussels’ (Cypres) and emotionally vibrant YouTube video clips have joined an odd assortment of recorded repertoire such as Albéniz’s Pepita Jiménez (Harmonia Mundi, 2/96) and Schubert’s Mass No 5 under Peter Schreier (Classical World Ltd). This disc combines her previously released, studio-recorded Aaron Copland song recital ‘The Gift to Be Free’ with six bonus live cuts.

To these Yankee ears, her performances of Copland at his folksiest feel perfectly idiomatic, and without the starchiness one still hears from some American singers. As much as she enjoys the text, she uses her full operatic voice without any gimmicky tone manipulation to suggest the different personalities behind the songs. Much spirit and feeling is evident here, especially in ‘The Little Horses’, which she adopted in her personal life as a lullaby for her young son. Yet the repertoire is not a great showcase – Old American Songs is fare for beginning voice students – forcing listeners to meet the recording more than halfway to access Chilcott’s artistry. The Emily Dickinson songs obviously have considerable emotional depths but are from Copland’s stark side: lyrical but not melodic, mostly through-composed, they can feel emotionally aloof and musically challenging when heard as a set.

The extra cuts make up the album. With a solid character to play, the performances show special attention to enunciating and colouring the words as well as a freer sense of vocalism. Also, the voice is caught in a more flattering theatre acoustic. Live performance was clearly her medium. Even those who are only now catching up with Chilcott’s art will know what the fuss was about.

Gramophone