New York Pretending To Be Paris
Eve Gigliotti, Erika Switzer, Jesse Darden, Eric Schorr, Michael Kelly, Cris Frisco, 19 Mercer Ensemble
Composer Eric Schorr says that the poems he chose for the compositions on this recording were ones that immediately resonated with him emotionally and musically. The range of the poems' styles and subject matter necessitated a varied musical vocabulary. Always lyrical, the music veers from romantic to jazz to chanson to bossa nova. Schorr expanded the palette of sound by adding a chamber sized acoustic orchestra to his original scoring for voice and piano. Schorr composes music for theater, television, and film as well as art songs. He studied at the New England Conservatory, Yale and Harvard. He is a recipient of a Japan-United State Arts Program Fellowship and Opera-Musical Theatre Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Critically acclaimed singers Eve Gigliotti, Jesse Darden, and Michael Kelly are the featured performers on this recording.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Eric Schorr ; Cynthia Zarin, poet | Eve Gigliotti (mezzo-soprano); Erika Switzer (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| Morning (After) Commute | Eric Schorr ; Thomas Marsh, poet | Jesse Darden (tenor); Eric Schorr (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| French Novel | Eric Schorr ; Richie Hofmann, poet | Michael Kelly (baritone); Cris Frisco (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| In the Apartment, After You've Gone | Eric Schorr ; Thomas March, poet | Eve Gigliotti (mezzo-soprano); Erika Switzer (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| Elegy for a Small Town Psychic | Eric Schorr ; Morri Creech, poet | Jesse Darden (tenor); Eric Schorr (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| Liquid | Eric Schorr ; Aaron Smith, poet | Michael Kelly (baritone); Cris Frisco (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| After All These Years | Eric Schorr ; Aaron Smith, poet | Jesse Darden (tenor); Eric Schorr (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
| Mother | Eric Schorr ; Susan Kinsolving & Aaron Smith, poets | Eve Gigliotti (mezzo-soprano); Michael Kelly (baritone); Jesse Darden (tenor); Cris Frisco (piano); Eric Schorr (piano); Erika Switzer (piano); The 19 Mercer Ensemble |
Reviews
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The esteemed composer Eric Schorr chose poems for the compositions on this recording because they struck a chord with him emotionally and musically, and he made them even more appealing with a chamber sized acoustic orchestra. Cynthia Zarin’s “Flowers” starts the listen with Eve Gigliotta’s expressive mezzo-soprano and Erika Switzer’s agile keys interacting with much grace and power, and “Morning (After) Commute,” by Thomas March, follows with Jesse Darden’s poetic tenor and Schorr’s piano prowess making for a highly melodic, lush climate. Richie Hoffman’s “French Novel” lands in the middle and showcases Michael Kelly’s skilled baritone amid Cris Frisco’s very cautious keys, while “Liquid”, by Aaron Smith, meshes Kelly’s playful delivery with Frisco’s meticulous fingers. “Mother” exits the listen and presents poems by Susan Kinsolving and Smith that are illuminated by all 3 vocalists and 3 different piano players for the intricate, soaring and textured finish. You’ll hear bits of romantic sounds, jazz, chanson and bossa nova here, as Schorr and company make for a very lyrical, articulate and alluring listen.
- “
This is a delightful disc. Eric Schorr has a near-Schubertian way with melody, although the setting, in terms of musical language, is closer to musical theater. It might look like a short playing time, but his is a wonderfully satisfying musical experience. The subtitle, “Songs of Remembrance and Desire,” sums it all up perfectly….
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A captivating disc…Songs are brimming with melody…Schorr embraces the opportunity to depict musically the profound emotional responses to instances of daily life. His music is affecting and brimming with humanity. Puccini was a master of this approach, and Schorr’s songs are a worthy successor to that tradition.
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