This
Steinway & Sons
release is the debut album of contralto
Sara Couden
. The album wasn't her idea, and indeed she was, like most people, unfamiliar with the fact that the great pianist
Artur Schnabel
was a song composer (and also wrote three symphonies). However, her rich, slightly smoky voice was an ideal choice for this material.
Schnabel
wrote these songs for his wife,
Irene Behr
. Charmingly, the two met when
, at a mountain resort, commented to a friend on the size of some boots in the corridor, only to be accosted by
Behr
the next morning, saying, "I heard you talking about my big feet." The songs are thus highly idiomatic for the alto voice, but they are more than that. Most of them date from between 1900 and 1910, from early in
's career, and they show a composer alert to the ideas in contemporary German poetry and seeking fresh ways to express them. The best is saved for last, with
Notturno for voice and piano, Op. 16
, set to a long poem by
Richard Dehmel
.
Dehmel
was the muse of
Schoenberg
(in
Verklaerte Nacht
) and other members of the Second Viennese School, and
was obviously aware of this; although he is not in
territory, he pushes the tonality quite a bit.
Strauss
also set this rather dark text.
Couden
's reading is direct and affecting, with good control over the lengthy song. Any of these pieces could be programmed with
or
Berg
, and it is a shame that they aren't better known. This beautifully recorded album, made at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Queens, may change that situation. ~ James Manheim