REVIEW of "EARLY SONGS" CD

[figaro]

EARLY SONGS BY LAURIE CONRAD
Figaro Recordings, 00546, ADD, 46:08
Louise McConnell, soprano
Graham Stewart, baritone
Laurie Conrad, piano

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I shan't profess to be an aficionado of contemporary music, however, two
recordings of music by composer Laurie Conrad arrived many months ago, one of which I discuss here. I found Ms. Conrad to be a composer who has the gift of writing music that is very much homogenized with texts. In other
words, she has the keen ability to merge notes to texts that inspired her in
the first place making it mean something immediately to the listener.

To appreciate Conrad's work, one must know her thoughts on music: "I think of the tonal system, with all its beauty, being more a natural expression of our physical world - it is based on the lower partials of the overtone series. The chromatic notes that appear in the twelve-tone system appear very late in the overtone series, in fact, they are mainly inaudible to
humans; there, in my mind, twelve-tone has always represented that which is unseen and unheard."

There are two groups of songs on this disc of Early Songs by Laurie Conrad
(23 tracks, but 22 actual songs forming a cycle) and Tonal Tunes (six
tracks, two of which are the actual songs, but include an introduction to
one song and a rehearsal to the other.)

What makes the atonal Early Songs so attractive is the names of the
individual pieces she gives each of the 22 song tracks, collectively
entitled Songs of Will several of which time in at less than one minute.
Here, one's imagination immediately goes to work once the title is known.
One track comes in at four minutes, entitled "Rehearsal of 'The Visitor,'"
composed to words by Ryota. We hear the artists tuning up, talking amongst themselves, receiving instruction from the composer, and rehearsing for the "real" take, which lasts 1'16". What a novel idea, to allow us to hear a piece of atonal music developing into a final performance . a composer at work with baritone, flute, and cello! Indeed, baritone Graham Stewart's rending of the "The Visitor," provides a mystique and eeriness (with flute and cello) that makes one wonder just who might be this "visitor."

Titles within Songs of Will include "We are Playing," "Red Sun," "Flowers,"
"Feathers, with Piano," "Feathers with Instruments," "Tonight the Moon,"
"Prisms," "Stunned," "Insects Cry," and "Far Lightning," to name a few.
Poetry for some of the music comes from Emily Dickinson, Arthur Tobias, and Ryota. Within the cycle-unlike cycles we are accustomed to hearing from traditional composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, etc., who generally wrote for voice and piano-Conrad has chosen to offer songs with piano, cello, flute, clarinet and voice, in myriad combinations. This offers a wide variety in color and expression for the listener. For example, in "Prisms," one can see a prism in the mind's eye, with the variegated colors. Conrad's music captured it perfectly for this listener. In general, I was much more drawn to this music than I originally thought I might be, giving it half a chance.

If I felt more at home in Laurie Conrad's "Tonal Tunes," I make no apology since my inner being is far more connected to tonal music, particularly from the Baroque through the late Romantic periods. Conrad writes tonally quite beautifully, with singing, attractive melodies and harmonies. The first of the tonal "tunes" is "Dreams," a title that has inspired many composers, including Richard Wagner. Here the harmony of the vocal line accompanied by the piano was eminently appealing. The song "So Many Lovers," took me back to the time of Kurt Weill stylistically. The rehearsal of the song "Words," again gives us a glimpse into the work of a composer, who seeks just the right mood and vocal properties to be rendered by the singer, who sings the song in both, English and French. Again, a delightful melody to the ear. The last song, "Do You Remember," is prefaced by an introduction taken from a telephone conversation Conrad had with a friend who died from AIDS, a reminder that this disease is still very much with us, thus making it a fine, heartfelt tribute to her friend. I would love to hear more from Laurie Conrad's tonal side.

The recording was made in Ithaca, New York in 1983, with one track ("Do You Remember") having been recorded in 1993. The diction of the singers is impeccable, which it must be in order to fully appreciate the words and
meaning of the song. Louise McConnell is a gifted singer whose possesses a full, clear, marvelously expressive and even voice.
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Lance G. Hill
Editor-in-Chief