Keenlyside’s rewarding recital
Baritone Simon Keenlyside played with tradition and decorum throughout his generous and rewarding recital Wednesday night at Union College. The program was solidly grounded in German lieder, yet there were also several freewheeling French song cycles from the first half of the 20th century.
As for the decorum, nothing outlandish took place. It’s just that
Keenlyside, who’s a treasured presence on opera stages around the world, isn’t the kind of recitalist who keeps his feet planted and his arms at rest. He used ever resource to engage. Along with some wandering about, he regularly reached out to the audience with open hands and turned his face and body this way and that. More than once he used the sound of taking in a breath as part of his tool book.
The best way Keenlyside grabbed the audience was with his commanding voice. This was one song recital where you didn’t need to sit close to get the full effect. While some longer periods of intimate expression would have been nice, nothing was left on the table and you can’t complain about that.
In the opener, Schubert’s final cycle “Schwanengesang” (Swan Song) it was as if Keenlyside was burrowing deep into the earth, his powerful journey a mix of love and longing, dejection and despair. Pianist Malcolm Martineau provided a steady horizon of sound, unfazed by the baritone’s frequent expressive leaps.
The Brahms selections after intermission were just as persuasive. In “Nachtwandler” (Sleepwalker) he sang with a fine legato a series of lines that crested higher and higher. The accompaniment seemed to yawn. He ended the set with a kiss toward heaven.
Two sets by Poulenc were rewarding novelties. The first consisted
of quick takes on seven modern painters. It felt like a zoom through a gallery, more verbal than visual. The second was more picturesque with depictions of city life and late night cabarets. “Avant le cinema” (Before the cinema) showed that hipsters aren’t unique to our time.
Keenlyside took obvious delight in Poulenc’s barrage of musical, poetic and cultural data. He even drew out some contemporary sarcasm from the travelogue titled “1904.”
Ravel’s “Histoires naturelles” was a terrific wrap-up, the best story telling of the night. The five songs were settings of prose, not poetry and this allowed us to experience even more of Keenlyside, who after a taxing program was still bursting with energy and singing with an unblemished voice.
Keenlyside went further still with two encores, some humorous Schubert and seductive Faure.