Adele Addison, soprano; Samuel Baron, flute; Rey de la Torre, guitar; James Payne, piano
Noel Lee's Five Songs on poems by García Lorca are striking examples that demonstrate the compatibility of lyric writing with the twelve-tone system of composition. It would seem, although this point can be debated, that the use of duodecuple regulation imparts to the melodies, a dry, almost ascetic quality that enhances their subtlety and beauty without in any way minimizing their essential poignancy. Of this work, the composer has said that "here was an attempt to recapture the peculiar and very special atmosphere which pervades the poems." That he is successful is evident.
It is difficult to describe the essential lyricism that characterizes the music of Mark Bucci. It too has that quality of asceticism associated above with Lee's Lorca Songs, but Bucci's manner of achieving this is entirely different. He is a tonal composer, with the conviction that tonality still offers considerable grist for the composer willing to use his intellect as well as his senses.
Bucci's feeling for melodic rise and fall, his understanding of dramatic climaxes (and that more subtle area: when is a climax not a climax), his breathtaking (there is no other word for it) use of the cadential crescendo capped by a subito pianissimo resolution, and his feeling for the proper presentation of a miracle—that is, the child is not reborn amidst a peal of thunder and a surge of brass and organ; nor is the cow given life to the accompaniment of a chorus of bell ringers— only the fervent happiness of those living who have regained those whom they had loved and lost—it is these positive qualities that give Bucci's music his personal stamp.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Noël Lee; Mark Bucci: Vocal Works
| MP3/320 | $14.00 | |
| FLAC | $14.00 | |
| WAV | $14.00 | |
| CD-R | $14.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Five Songs: I. La lune et La Mort
NoÌÇl Lee
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Five Songs: II. Arbrisseau
NoÌÇl Lee
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Five Songs: III. L'enfant Muet
NoÌÇl Lee
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Five Songs: IV. Jolie Coeur
NoÌÇl Lee
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Five Songs: V. Mort au Petit Matin
NoÌÇl Lee
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Summer Aria
Mark Bucci
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Spring Aria
Mark Bucci
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Concerto for a Singing Instrument: Vocalise
Mark Bucci
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Concerto for a Singing Instrument: Tug of War
Mark Bucci
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