February 08, 2017

Gramophone: Out of the Shadows review

“Delan has a light voice… her musicianship and responsiveness to the text are never in question. Kevin Korth provides superb support, full of colour and character. The recorded sound is up to Pentatone’s usual high standards. Warmly recommended.”

Our recording of “OUT OF THE SHADOWS: REDISCOVERED AMERICAN ART SONGS” performed by Lisa Delan, Kevin Korth, Matt Haimovitz received a wonderful review on Gramophone. This remarkable recording, a century’s worth of treasures emerge from the shadows of both memory and history. These songs honor the universality of the human experience—love, loss, faith, joy, sadness, nostalgia—in uniquely American settings.The spirit, pragmatism and romanticism of a country born in revolution and maturing in reason and hopefulness is evident in these works. It’s all here, in 31 songs by ten composers. Read a glimpse of the review below.

Lisa Delan has put together an enjoyable and valuable programme here.These are songs one hears rarely, if at all; some of them, in fact, have never been recorded before. And while the seven composers represented all fall on the conservative side of the musical spectrum, there’s a satisfying sense of stylistic diversity nonetheless.

Three traditional songs, arranged by contemporary composers for soprano, piano and cello, are placed as a kind of interlude. David Garner’s ‘Auld lang syne’and Jack Perla’s ‘Home, sweet home’ are overwrought but Gordon Getty’s ‘Shenandoah’ is exquisitely spare and full of expressive detail. The recital concludes on a high note with three absolutely gorgeous, melancholy songs by the vastly underrated Randall Thompson.

Read the full review on Gramophone – January 2017