Gregory Berg recently published a wonderful and thorough review of Love is Everywhere: Selected Songs of Margaret Ruthven Lang, Vol. 1 in the National Association of Teachers publication, Journal of Singing. We will give you some quotes here, but highly encourage you to purchase the Journal for the full feature via the NATS.org website.
From Journal of Singing:
By Gregory Berg
“The title song, “love is Everywhere,” is a perfect case in point, with its rather overwrought emotionality and tightly corseted tonality. It is also an undeniably exciting song, especially when sung and played as thrillingly as it is here…
“As fun as it is to hear these songs that are heated to a full boil, the most lasting pleasure is derived from those where Lang uses more delicate shades in more sophisticated combinations. Several bear the influence of the Impressionists, including an exquisite miniature, “A Song of the Lilac,” that would sound right at home beside the finest chansons of Debussy…
“Lang is at her wittiest in her Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures, including “There was an old man in a tree,”…In a time and style that tends to be relentlessly earnest, this kind of witty writing is a delightful and refreshing surprise…
“The key to this and the other successful performances by Donald George and Lucy Mauro is the unabashed exuberance with which they embrace this music. There is no hint of hesitancy or embarrassment; they engage with wholehearted devotion and enthusiasms, which is what these songs both require and deserve. They also require a singer with a sizable voice who can ride the most taxing passages of these songs without tiring or resorting to yelling. George sings beautifully and easily at full cry, yet sounds equally compelling when singing more gently and lyrically. Also impressive is his exceptionally clear diction, which he achieves without compromising the legato line that is at the heart of almost all of these songs. Mauro is a perfect partner, whether called upon for thundering power or the tenderest whisper.”
Find the full review in the Journal of Singers.
Love is Everywhere:
Songs of Margaret Ruthven Lang, Vol. 1
Donald George, tenor
Lucy Mauro, piano
CD + CD-ROM
CD-ROM Includes PDFs of All Sheet Music!
Margaret Ruthven lang was the first American woman composer to have works performed by major symphony orchestras in the US, beginning with the Boston Symphony under Nikisch. Her musical family associations included Liszt, Wagner, Dvorak and Paderewski. She studied in Munich with prominent teachers of the time, and in the U.S. with such figures as Chadwick, Paine and MacDowell. These delightful songs are mostly in the Late Romantic tradition. Donald George and Lucy Mauro are currently performing these songs internationally. Donald says: “Hers is a music of remarkable freshness and originality.” The companion disc also contains printable song text for both volumes, and a list of the songs categorized by degree of difficulty: a valuable resource for singers, teachers and students.