Mi País: Songs of Argentina is a CD from bass-baritone Federico de Michelis and an ensemble that includes Steven Blier on piano, Shinjoo Cho on bandoneon, Sami Merdinian on violin and Pablo Lanouguere on bass. The songs are basically from the middle decades of the 20th century and mostly by classically trained composers such as Carlos Guastavino and Carlos López Buchardo.
I think I was expecting something more like 20th century art song but the material on the disc is more popular with strong tango influences and hints of the Great American Songbook. It’s all completely tonal and really doesn’t go anywhere unexpected. It’s all very competently done and de Michelis has an excellent voice but it’s not really my thing. YMMV.
It was recorded earlier this year at Big Orange Sheep in Brooklyn and the recording is perfectly fine. It’s available as a physical CD or a digital download from NYFOS Records (no catalogue number). The packaging includes notes on the songs but no texts.
Today’s CD is a bit of an oddity and a bit of a period piece. It’s Paul Bowles’ 1953 work A Picnic Cantata setting a libretto by James Schuyler. It’s scored for two pianos and percussion plus a vocal cast of two sopranos and two altos. It’s hyperrealistic in detail and surrealistic in time line. The “plot” (roughly) is that friends decide to go on a Sunday picnic which is described in some detail, Then someone picks up the Sunday paper and starts to read bits from it. Then there’s a sort of clearing up and clearing out. Scene succeeds scene with almost breath-taking rapidity to complete a work that lasts less than half an hour
operaramblings 