'THE SONGS OF TOM CIPULLO.' Excerpts from The Land of Nod (1994); Long Island Songs (1992); How to Get Heat Without Fire (1999); A Visit with Emily (1998). Performed by Joy In Singing, Paul Sperry, director. Presented by Treasures of the Music Division, New York Public Library for the Per-forming Arts. Great Hall, Cooper Union, NY. April 8, 2000.
With the Library for the Performing Arts undergoing renovation and its Bruno Walter Auditorium unavailable, Cooper Union's Great Hall has taken on the mission of hosting free concerts to the public. This particular one, so carefully nurtured by Paul Sperry, was worthy of the label appearing prominently in the sponsor's title: "treasure." Tom Cipullo is one of the rare emerging composers who can set texts with the utmost sensitivity and grace the human voice with exquisitely lyrical lines. Of course, that may mean a particular kind of text to the exclusion of others. Nevertheless, after being treated to our second hearing, we can venture to say A Visit with Emily is a major vocal masterwork, realizing how oft celebrated has been this poet during recent years.
Soprano Tobe Malawista,
who sang the soprano part in Florence Gould Hall last year as part of her Mirror
Visions Ensemble concert, had suggested an entire plan to the composer replete
with texts, ensembles and the incorporation of words from T.W. Higginson, Dickinson's
publisher. One idea, to put aside the poet's 'Nature - the Gentlest Mother is'
for a future project, was politely rejected by the composer, who decided it
made the perfect final 'Epilogue' and dedicated it to the memory of his mother
Lois, "in every way 'the gentlest mother.'"
Who can disagree with that decision? After the climactic 'Hymn' for the full trio of singers ending with the ennobling 'Our statures touch the skies,' only the kindest sort of memoriam can be felt in the words 'With infinite Affection/ And infiniter Care-/ her Golden finger on Her lip/ Wills silence -- everywhere.'
Jody Sheinbaum, a young and obviously up-and-coming lyric soprano, seemed so perfect for this offering. Her thoroughly unpretentious style of singing is, on first blush, quite winning, and one can only hope this quality will not be lost to future demands on her silky voice.
She was also featured in Mr. Cipullo's world premiere presentation of How to Get Heat Without Fire, a setting of a poem by Marilyn Kallet. Here the mood is much more cynical, questioning, but just as carefully underlined by Mr. Cipullo. Meanwhile, mezzo-soprano Tara Venditti was featured in three excerpts from The Land of Nod, with text by Alice Wirth Gray. Her quality is quite gutsy and her voice strong and steely, perfectly suited to these rather offputting little gems, particularly "A Death in the Family," a model of black humor. The male singers demonstrated sensitivity and understanding. Tenor William Ferguson sang the Long Island Songs of 1992, while baritones Scott Murphree and Matthew Shaw made for excellent collaborators with Ms. Sheinbaum in the Dickinson. Charles Tauber and the composer accompanied at the piano. <>