Episode 204. Roberta Alexander Sings America
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Posting a few days early in celebration of the Fourth of July and in further recognition of the beloved American soprano Roberta Alexander, whose birthday we celebrated on Countermelody last March. Ms. Alexander has made a number of exquisite recordings over the years, many of them for the small Dutch label Etcetera. Many of these releases feature songs by the greatest American composers: Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Samuel Barber, as well as two releases featuring light classical and Broadway songs. The recordings range in date from 1976 (a live performance of Ives at the Holland Festival, in honor of the American Bicentennial) through 2009 (a live performance of Roberta as Maria in Porgy and Bess conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt). We also hear material by Berlin, Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Alec Wilder, Bock and Harnick, John Jacob Niles, and Tom Lehrer, accompanied by pianists Reinbert de Leeuw, Roger Vignoles, Alfred Heller, Brian Masuda, Tan Crone, and David Triestram and conductors Kees Bakels and Edo de Waart. Throughout, Roberta Alexander’s approach to this material is perfectly on target, revealing both pathos and a crackling sense of (often sardonic) humor, all grounded in a love of the music of her native country and wrapped in a red, white, and blue bow.
RECORDINGS HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
All tracks with Roberta Alexander, soprano.
Traditional Spiritual, arr. Harry T. Burleigh: My Lord, What a Mornin’. Brian Masuda [1999]
Charles Ives: The Things Our Fathers Loved. Tan Crone [1984]
George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin: I Got Rhythm (Girl Crazy). Jerry Hadley, Thomas Hampson, Eric Stern, Metropole Orkest [live Amsterdam 1998]
George Gershwin, Du Bose Heyward, Ira Gershwin: I hates yo’ struttin’ style (Porgy and Bess). Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe [live Graz VII.09]
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Traditional Parici text: Teirú (Three Indigenous Songs, No. 2). Alfred Heller [1993]
Charles Ives: Tom Sails Away. Reinbert de Leeuw [Holland Festival 11.VI.76]
Charles Ives: They Are There! Reinbert de Leeuw [Holland Festival 11.VI.76]
Charles Ives, Traditional text collected by John Avery Lomax: Charlie Rutlage. Tan Crone [1984]
Charles Ives, George Meredith: Night of Frost in May. Tan Crone [1989]
Traditional American, arr. Charles Ives: At the River. Tan Crone [1989]
Traditional American, arr. Aaron Copland: At the River (Old American Songs, Second Set, No. 4). Roger Vignoles [1990]
Aaron Copland, Emily Dickinson: The World Feels Dusty (Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, No. 4). Roger Vignoles [1990]
Samuel Barber, James Joyce: Solitary Hotel (Despite and Still, Op. 41/4). Tan Crone [1988]
Irving Berlin: Old-Fashioned Wedding (Annie Get Your Gun). Thomas Hampson, Eric Stern, Metropol Orkest [live Amsterdam 1998]
Tom Lehrer: Poisoning Pigeons in the Park. David Triestram [1996]
Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick: Dear Friend (She Loves Me). David Triestram [1996]
John Kander, Fred Ebb: I Don’t Remember You (The Happy Time). David Triestram [1996]
John Jacob Niles: Go ‘way from My Window. Brian Masuda [1999]
Alec Wilder: Did You Ever Cross over to Sneden’s? David Triestram [1996]
Stephen Sondheim, arr. Larry Moore: I Remember (Evening Primrose). Gary Miller, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, Dean X. Johnson [live Amsterdam 27.VIII.91]
Stephen Sondheim: Good Thing Going (Merrily We Roll Along). David Triestram [1996]
Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim: Candide’s Lament (Candide). Tan Crone [1986]
Charles Ives, John Greenleaf Whittier: Serenity. Kees Bakels, Radio Symfonieorkest [live Amsterdam ca. 1984]
Traditional Spiritual, arr. Florence Price: My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord. Brian Masuda [1999]
Samuel Barber, James Agee: Sure on this Shining Night, Op. 13/3. Edo de Waart, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest [Netherlands Radio Philharmonic] [1993]