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4.5
After 15 years of research and performances by Oberlin Conservatory Professor of Voice Salvatore Champagne and pianist Howard Lubin came the world premiere CD release of What Think You I Take My Pen in Hand to Record?. The performances showcase Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s refined musical and poetic sensibilities in his settings of the Calamus section of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and 17 Shakespeare sonnets. Included with the CD’s is a 66-page hardcover book with essays by Castelnuovo scholars and photos from the composer’s family provided by the International Center for American Music.David J. Baker’s review in Opera News (July 2016) named the CD a “Critic’s Choice.” He wrote, “tenor Champagne is sensitive to the long, extended shape of text and musical line, as well as the emotional force of the songs. He is well supported by brilliant accompanist Howard Lubin.”American Record Guide published Robert A. Moore’s assessment that these settings of the poets’ works reveals Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s facile ability to “catch their emotion with great imagination and variety.” And, of the tenor soloist, he wrote “Champagne’s sensitivity to the text shows a depth of understanding distilled from his intensive study of these songs…The timbre of the tenor’s high and very light voice is clear and penetrating. His diction is crystal clear, and his polished technique is admirable.”
