エレナ・ルーア: ソングズ・フォー・スティーヴン

作曲家エレナ・ルーアと、
歌手スティーヴン・ソルターズの集大成!

作曲家エレナ・ルーア(1963-)とバリトン歌手スティーヴン・ソルターズの約30年にわたる創作の集大成として制作された歌曲集。アメリカを代表する詩人たち、エリザベス・アレクサンダー、リチャード・ブランコ、ラングストン・ヒューズ、アドリエンヌ・リッチの詩に基づいた作品に加え、ドイツ語によるリルケの詩に基づく《リート》も収録されています。ルーアが「この声のために書きたい」と感じたソルターズの歌声は、彼女の音楽に生命を吹き込み、聴き手に深い感動を与えます。
東京エムプラス

The creative partnership between baritone Stephen Salters and composer Elena Ruehr is of considerable duration, with some of the music on this release dating back to 1999. It has grown to incorporate material of various kinds and to draw forth from Salters a relaxed tone that may be harder to hear in his other work. These partnerships were more common in the 19th century, and it is interesting to hear what one sounds like today. The centerpiece is a song cycle, Five Men, to poems by Elizabeth Alexander. The Five Men are figures from African American history, from Joseph Cinque, the leader of the mutineers on the Amistad, to George Washington Carver and a group known as the Elders. It is a sober work, avoiding grand theatrical gestures, and Salters nails its dimensions perfectly. The album concludes with another cycle, Lullabies & Spring Songs, setting childrens poetry by Langston Hughes, and here, it is Ruehr who is the star, drawing out deeper themes with music from the simplicity of texts for children. The rest of the songs lie apart from the sphere of African American culture and are a varied group; Lied, setting a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, is quietly intense. Wonderful Bears, based on a poem by Adrienne Rich, is an uneasy item indeed whose qualities are difficult for a singer to pull off. Throughout, the appeal lies in the seeming meeting of the minds between composer and singer, which began when Salters sent, out of the blue, a request for a song cycle from Ruehr that he could perform. This is an essential find for those interested in contemporary art song, and it is compelling for anyone. ~ James Manheim