The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto’s Music in the Afternoon series continued at Walter Hall on April 3rd with a song recital by soprano Midori Marsh and pianist Frances Armstrong. The theme was “sisters,” with each set designed to explore a particular aspect of sisterhood.
Midori Marsh. Photo: Daniel Welch
The first set dealt with religious sisterhood. It began with the duet, Bone Jesu, fons amoris, by the Benedictine nun Chiara Margarita Cozzollani for which Midori was joined by mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington. It’s a very lovely piece which sounds more polyphonic than two voices should. The blend was excellent too, with just the right difference in tone colour between the two voices. This was followed by Gaubert’s Soir Paien; an ode to Pagan sensuousness enhanced by the contribution of Laura Chambers on flute.
Alex Hetherington
Next were a pair of three-song sets, each written the sisters Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot. The Malibran songs, in Italian, are operatic display pieces clearly designed to show off the composer’s own legendary vocal agility. They got the full on operatic treatment from Midori who sang with panache, power and a real command of the coloratura sections. The Viardot songs, in Spanish, are more restrained; more like typical art songs, and they were treated in a more restrained manner. The last; the duet El fandango del diablo, was another welcome opportunity to hear the Alex/Midori combo.
After a short break we fast forwarded a couple of generations for two sets by the Boulanger sisters. Three songs by the older sister Nadia are very much early 20th-century mélodies. They are typically French, but not terribly individual. Stylishly sung though. Lili’s cycle; Clairières dans le ciel, shows a much more distinctive voice. These songs are more intense, even driven, and demand a deeper commitment from the singer and pianist, which they got.
Frances Armstrong
The final set consisted of six songs by contemporary American composers about various aspects of sisterhood. I’m not a huge fan of contemporary American song, but two numbers stood out. Libby Larsen’s Big Sister Says is quite powerful with a strong emphasis on the “hurt” of being a woman in the 1950s. We also heard Empty Chair; one of the most moving of the songs from the powerful cycle Songs for Murdered Sisters by Jake Heggie and Margaret Atwood. This was beautifully done.
It was a cleverly constructed and extremely well performed program. Both Midori and Frances managed the full range from Renaissance “polyphony” to Great American Songbook territory with great skill and Alex and Laura added some welcome additional colour. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto’s Music in the Afternoon concludes its 24-25 season on May 8 with tenor Asitha Tennekoon in a program entitled Belonging. www.wmct.on.ca
