Here's a strong vocal debut that takes the praiseworthy step of pairing musical investigation with vocal preparation. South Carolina-born, Texan- and Italian-trained soprano Karen Parks unearths the music of Harry T. Burleigh, known by name to anyone who has ever looked at the program for a concert featuring Dvorák's music. His music, though, is performed less often. He was one of the key figures in the entire tradition of arranging African-American spirituals for classical media, but more modern arrangements have often replaced those he made. Parks' rich, rounded voice can stand with the classics of the genre, and she is comfortable with the degree of rhythmic freedom the spirituals need. Her readings of eight of Burleigh's arrangements of spirituals are really arresting. Some of the music is accompanied not by piano but by a small chamber ensemble, not out of line for the time, but confirmation that these were Burleigh's would have been helpful. Burleigh also wrote art songs, which would have been staples of American song recitals 80 years ago but are a rare find these days. Parks offers a selection of seven of these, which make the disc well worth the purchase price even if she is on less solid footing interpretively in a few of them. Their diversity is their strength. Burleigh set texts by authors from Langston Hughes to British Symbolist poet Arthur Symons to the intense confessionals of Laurence Hope (Adela Florence Nicolson), and there is powerful interest in hearing the ways he tried to build bridges between the sides of his double consciousness. Sample Oh! Rock Me, Julie, track 10, which draws on an African-American folk text but speaks a language different from that of the spirituals. There are riches here that audiences of three generations ago knew all about, and thanks are due to this promising young artist for unearthing them.
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