The Canadian Art Song Project presented their latest commission in the RBA on Wednesday lunchtime.  But first we got Jorelle Williams and Steven Philcox with four songs by iconic Canadian/American composer R. Nathaniel Dett.  I confess that early 20th century American song is rarely to my taste and the first three Dett songs I found workmanlike but not especially interesting.  The fourth though; The Winding Road to a text by Tertius Van Dyke I found much more interesting.  It seemed that Dett had allowed himself to be more “American”.  There were influences from both “Negro music” and marching band here with an overall effect not unlike some of Charles Ives’ songs.  I can’t knock the performance though.  It did full justice to the songs; especially the last.

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