Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES • SUMMER 2016 • sai-national.org 24 WAGNER & ELGAR (MS 1532) Sarah Rose Taylor, mezzo-soprano Nigel Potts, organ Grace Cloutier, harp T his CD is the debut release for British mezzo-soprano Sarah Rose Taylor, accompanied here by Nigel Potts on organ and Grace Cloutier on harp. Made up of two sets of song cycles followed by an excerpt from one of each composer's well-known orchestral and vocal works, the performance serves the dual role of showcasing Taylor's rich and emotive vocals as well as Potts' arranging and technical skills. Taylor is interpretive and connected to the music, and she demonstrates supreme control over her entire vocal range. One moment she is so and delicate; the next powerful and soaring. Everything in her voice serves to convey the emotion of the song, so that even listeners who don't speak the language in which she sings can grasp the feeling. e recording space itself, the Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in New York City, makes an expansive canvas on which her voice can rest; it is open enough to allow her high notes to soar effortlessly, yet it amplifies the so and low notes that otherwise might be drowned out by the organ. e choice to set these works for organ rather than piano is a departure from convention and functions as an advertisement for the practice of arranging orchestral works for organ that has been Potts' mission for much of his professional musical career. ere is no doubt that the organ offers greater interpretive range than the piano, but I wonder whether that additional range is really necessary for these works – if the intent was to showcase the vocal abilities of Taylor, perhaps the more subdued piano would have been a better choice - and whether it is utilized effectively here. Potts does an excellent job orchestrating these pieces for a single instrument and using the expanded possibilities of the organ while staying true to the emotion of the music, but some of the intrinsic qualities of the organ, such as abrupt start, stops, and switches from one sound to another, are at times disruptive. Despite this, the organ supports Taylor's musicality well, and the overall effect makes for a unique listening experience. Any vocal student would do well to study the way Taylor uses her instrument, and the arrangements themselves provide an example for anyone seeking to better understand how the organ might be successfully drawn out from beyond its traditional religious role. Elizabeth Wood was initiated into the Gamma Iota Chapter at James Madison University in 2010, where she graduated with a B.M. in Music Industry in 2013. She also holds an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of California at Riverside. REVIEWS SCENE RUSTIQUE (RR7935) Leslie Odom, oboe Soomee Yoon, piano I acould discuss here how Dr. Leslie Odom's tone on the oboe during her debut solo album, Scene Rustique, from Ravello Records, is pure and warm, how she soars to high notes without ever getting shrill. I could discuss how her performance of the opening title piece is like the introduction to a novel–giving you the full range of emotions you can expect during the rest of the CD, from tragic to sultry to joyful. But anyone can learn notes and rhythms. Anyone can learn to play a series of notes on an instrument and show off difficult techniques, play fast, play loud and so. What Dr. Odom gives us in Scene Rustique, though, is true musicality. She shows off the incredible expressive and dynamic range of the oboe, yes, but she also highlights the importance of a well-rounded and exploratory music education. Let me explain. Dr. Odom's performance on this CD is clearly informed by a thorough understanding of music history and musical forms. For instance, on the second piece, "ree Dance Studies for Oboe and Piano: I. Habanera," Dr. Odom captures the sultry character of that Cuban dance through careful articulations and dynamics. It sounds hauntingly like that other most-famous "Habanera" though, that of Georges Bizet. While I'm sure the composer, Mary Chandler, gave some direction for the performance of her piece, I'm also sure that Dr. Odom called on her experience with Bizet to help her shape her phrasing, and I'm confident that she studied other works in that genre in order to help her capture the peculiar lilt of that dance. By studying music history and musical forms, Dr. Odom has taken that piece of music beyond the literal interpretation of black dots on a white page and created a work of art. e other critical aspect of this CD is the array of composers–all female. A canonical music education would have you stick to the typically male composers we all know and love. However, Dr. Odom has intentionally strayed and sought out works by female composers from a variety of backgrounds. Hedwige Chrétien was a prolific French composer who taught at the Paris Conservetoire. Mary Chandler is an English composer, oboist, and pianist who performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, taught at the Kent Music School, and made a living as a freelance composer aer retiring in 1971. Marina Drankishnikova was a Russian composer and pianist who studied at the Leningrad Conservatory before having her works published in the United States by oboist Mark Fink. Gloria Wilson Swisher is an American composer who received the Sigma Alpha Iota Inter-American Music prize for "Salutations." Madeleine Dring was an English composer and actress who studied at the Royal College with Ralph Vaughan Williams. Dr. Odom's choice of these five women is not an accident. e diverse (albeit entirely white and Western) backgrounds of these women and the range of music they produced as showcased on this CD is a celebration of women in music, and it gives listeners and students a taste of how much more there is to discover if they are willing to explore outside the canon. — Elizabeth Wood

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