Rose in Bloom is a new recital CD from coloratura soprano Erin Morley accompanied by Gerald Martin Moor.  It’s a bit of a mixed bag.  There’s some really nice singing and playing but some of the music choices leave me a bit cold.

Saint-Saëns “La libellule” is a good start.  It’s quite dramatic with opportunties for Morley to show off her considerable coloratura chops.  It’s followed by Rimsky-Korsakoff’s “The Rose Enslaves the Nightingale” which is quite exotic with oriental touches and allows Morley to display a more lyrical side.  Berg’s “Die Nachtigall” shows she can sing classic German Lieder with style and feeling and then there’s a bit of a chance to show off with Saint Saëns four minute long vocalise “Le Rossignol et la Rose”.

Next come Ricky Ian Gordons Huit Chanson de Fleurs.  These songs are a good fit for Morley’s voice but I find them a bit insipid.  They are tonal and hyper-romantic but also much more American than French despite the title.  The poems are all in English ranging from Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (nul points) to the much more interesting and sardonic “One Perfect Rose” by Dorothy Parker.  But just not my thing.

There are five more tracks of late 19th and 20th century material including the doomy, Mahlerish “Vöglein Schwermut” by Zemlinsky as well as some Brahms, Milhaud and Rachmaninoff.  The album finishes up with three songs in English.  I really liked Michael Heads “Bird Song” which includes flute (Ransom Wilson) and gives Morley a chance to show off some impressive high notes.  Wilson also features on Arthur Sullivan’s “‘Neath My Lattice Through the Night” which is about what you might expect but it’s stylishly sung with some excellent, and very high, coloratura.  Finally Morley accompanies herself on piano for Ivor Novello’s “We’ll Gather Lilacs” which may be hackneyed but Morley has the style down pat.

The album was recorded at Elmwood Road in 2022 and it’s a very decent standard CD quality recording.  It’s due for release as a physical CD on 19th April and comes with excellent documentation including all the texts and a good personal essay by Morley.

Catalogue information: Orchid Classics ORC 100294