SCHUBERTIADE: Will Liverman
We continue our Schubertiade feature with this “dream recital” from extraordinary baritone Will Liverman.
What I love most about art song is that it allows artists to be intimate in a way that you can't achieve on an operatic stage. We don't have costumes, a set, a conductor, or other musicians to help us tell a story. However, my pianist and I do have complete artistic freedom to tell the story how we want to tell it. All we have are the words and a piano. Some of the most heartfelt performances I've witnessed have been recitals. I think it's because we're able to give all of our attention to what we're saying and how we want to say it: we're not distracted by that crucial downbeat we need to catch or that stage direction we need to hit on a certain word. This isn't to say that opera doesn't tug at the heartstrings, because it obviously does. Telling a story collectively is a very powerful and amazing thing to see, but watching a genuine artist give a recital tells me a lot about who they are, and it gives me access right away.
This dream recital is a compilation of a few of the genuine artists who inspire me. You'll see that not all of it is in the world of art song: I picked a few artists that I love to listen to in general. I could have programmed the world's longest dream recital if I put all of my favorites on this list, but I decided to spare you and just give you a few numbers. I love a lot of different styles of music, but I especially love gospel and I love alternative music that breaks away from the mainstream sound. What I appreciate about this recital is that no matter the style of the music, the musical intimacy and personal connection to text is always there. When those things are present, how can you not feel something?
I hope you all enjoy.
Lawrence Brownlee is one of my all-time favorite tenors. He is also someone that I looked up to as I was starting my career. He has performed on the world's biggest opera stages and it was always an inspirational thing to see someone who looked like me up there. This spiritual, “All Night, All Day,” arranged by the amazing Damien Sneed is one of my absolute favorite things to listen to!
Dmitri Hvorostovsky is my all-time favorite baritone. He was also a big influence on my desire to want to pursue a career in opera. I would often just sit and listen to every Youtube recording I could find of him in college. I never got a chance to hear him live and I really wish I had! In addition to his greatness on the operatic stage, I equally loved his artistry and intimacy in art song. “Night Song of The Wanderer” by Medtner is a beautiful piece, and Hvorostovsky's performance is transcendent.
Mahalia Jackson is one of our founding mothers of gospel. The money that I would pay to hear her live! Gospel is an important part of my musical upbringing. It's the foundation for everything I know. Mahalia Jackson is one of the best to ever sing gospel and I love her voice in this powerful song, “Lord, Don’t Move the Mountain.”
Ian Bostridge is one of the masters of storytelling in art song. I always listen to his recordings as a resource for German Lied especially. I love his delivery of text. It's super clear. We understand everything going on in the story. “Der Zwerg” is one of my top Schubert art songs, and Bostridge's performance is a masterclass.
I almost always listen to Gerard Souzay for everything French art song. The elegance and simplicity of his sound is so pleasing. Nothing to me speaks French mélodie more than Souzay singing Fauré’s “Clair de Lune.”
I discovered Moses Sumney this summer and I'm hooked! I love how he creates sound and music. There is something very unique about it that really speaks to me. “Doomed” is a perfect example of what I love about Sumney's artistry. Imagine how amazing this piece would sound on the Carnegie Hall stage!
Mahler's Kindertotenlieder is a gut-wrenching song cycle. “Nun seh' ich wohl” is my favorite piece from the cycle. Jessye Norman’s command of art song is undeniable. It's some of the most expressive singing and communicating I've ever witnessed. I would be a mess if I were to hear her sing this live!
Bryn Terfel is my guy for English art song! His color, shaping, and phrasing is simply unfair! Terfel has one of the most beautiful bass-baritone voices of all time. Hearing him sing “Youth and Love” in a recital would be a dream. Songs of Travel by Vaughn Williams is one of the most brilliant pieces of vocal writing. The words and music are so linked so closely together. It's a perfectly set piece!
I don't know what to say about the voice of Smokie Norful. It is out of this world! I'm constantly amazed at how well he moves his voice. Each note is crystal clear. You could dictate the notes that come out of his mouth—although there would be quite a lot of notes! He has a presence about his singing that his is so powerful to witness. “God Is Able” is one of the most heartfelt songs I've ever heard.
Play the video below to listen to Will’s entire dream recital as a playlist.
November 6, 2020
