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| Title |
Composer(s) |
Performer(s) |
Length |
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| Sparrows |
Joseph Schwantner
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20th Century Consort
Lucy Shelton
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17:50 |
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| Candles |
Gerald Chenoweth
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20th Century Consort
Lucy Shelton
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17:26 |
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| A Poison Tree |
Richard Wernick
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20th Century Consort
Lucy Shelton
|
11:49 |
|
| Spring Songs |
William Doppmann
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20th Century Consort
Lucy Shelton
|
20:12 |
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Legend has it that some could see Lucifer himself guiding Niccolo Paganini's fingers over the neck of his violin when he performed. Judging by the evidence offered on this second of three discs from the Consort's Smithsonian season, Lucy Shelton might very well be receiving similar assistance from any number of less rebellious angels. Shelton has honed her supple, pellucid soprano to the point where it glides through even the most demanding passages with preternatural ease, making the two-time Walter W. Naumburg Award winner the perfect partner in the sublime for Washington D.C.'s storied 20th Century Consort. These recordings of far-too-rarely heard works by Joseph Schwantner, Gerald Chenoweth, Richard Wernick, and William Doppman mark the culmination of an ongoing 26-year collaboration between Shelton and the Consort, proving that practice does, in fact, make perfect. Still, a little angelic assistance never hurts.
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Gramophone Magazine
The breadth of this collection provides not just a showcase for her but a richly satisfying programme for the listener as well. Shelton is able to connect the dots, both literally on the page and musically between fundamentally different soundworlds. Contemporary vocal fireworks from a specialist in the field.
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by Ken Smith
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