In the U.S., Stefan Wolpe (1902-1972) is primarily known as an exponent of the avant-garde and as the teacher of some of the most prominent American modernists of the late twentieth century, including Morton Feldman, Ralph Shapey, Herbert Brün, and Charles Wuorinen, and his most-performed works are his pieces for piano. Vocal music, however, made up about half of his output and predominated early in his career. This Bridge collection of 25 examples of his vocal music, dating from 1920 through the mid-'50s, is very welcome, especially since some of the pieces are recorded here for the first time.
The songs here vary considerably in their idioms, but none are written in the rigorously modernist style with which Wolpe is often associated and many are highly melodic. Wolpe's text setting in several languages is consistently sensitive and makes the words easily understandable. (Part of his background was writing popular songs for kibbutzim, so he would have had to have a solid grasp of direct and comprehensible prosody.) One of the quirkier and more memorable pieces is "Excerpts from Dr. Einstein's Address about Peace in the Atomic Era" (1950), a timely but purely prosaic text, and Wolpe's earnest setting amplifies the emotions of Einstein's chilling analysis. Ten Early Songs, from 1920, are beguilingly lyrical, while showing formal influences of Schoenberg and Berg. Wolpe's Arrangements of Yiddish Folk Songs (1925) skillfully apply eclectic accompaniments that heighten the potent emotional punch of each song. Baritone Patrick Mason is the passionate performer in the Folk Songs and "Einstein's Address," and he sings with rich tone and deep involvement. Soprano Tony Arnold is another standout in the Early Songs. Not all the pieces are equally successful; Der faule Bauer mit seinen Hunden (1926), an 11-minute setting of a fable by Hans Sachs, is prosaic and talky, and the music contributes little to the story. Overall, though, the quality of the pieces recorded here leaves the listener intrigued about Wolpe's vast and largely unexplored body of vocal music.
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