Album

Admired as a versatile master of large forms such as operas, concertos, and symphonies, William Bolcom is more widely appreciated for his engaging performances and for his numerous songs and song cycles, composed over four decades. Bolcom's fascination with poetry of all stripes—from William Blake's mystical visions to the wry lyrics of Arnold Weinstein—has led him to compose highly varied entertainments, incorporating popular, classical, and modernist elements in a hybrid cabaret style that almost always works to the texts' advantage. Soprano Carole Farley has selected an assortment of lively songs, chiefly from the Bolcom/Weinstein collaborations Greatshot, Dynamite Tonite, Casino Paradise; the independent cycles, Songs to Dance, and I Will Breathe a Mountain; and small sets, such as the Tillinghast Duo and Three Songs from The Wind in the Willows. Farley is quite ebullient and brassy, and these attitudes usually work in the witty numbers, but her interpretations of the quieter songs suffer from a lack of subtlety and sweetness; what may sound effective on stage comes across on CD as somewhat overblown and harsh. However, Bolcom's playing is both precise and fluid, and possibly the most sensitive and responsive accompaniment any singer could want. Naxos provides good reproduction, though the venue sounds a little drafty and over-resonant.

© Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

CD 1
William Bolcom Composer Greatshot (cabaret opera) Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
1	You Cannot Have Me Now - or, The Military Orgy	5:23			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer Casino Paradise (musical theater) Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
2	Night, Make My Day	2:17			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer The Digital Wonder Watch (An Advertisement) Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
3	The Digital Wonder Watch (An Advertisement)	3:03			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer Casino Paradise (musical theater) Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
4	My Father the Gangster	2:39			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer The Last Days of Mankind Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
5	The Last Days of Mankind	3:29			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer 10 Songs to Dance Work 9:15 Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
6	1.This is a face	0:56			$0.99
7	2.Since I have	0:52			$0.99
8	3.The rabbit	1:01			$0.99
9	4.I am not free	0:48			$0.99
10	5.For me	0:35			$0.99
11	6.From wandering	1:04			$0.99
12	7.Beware	0:44			$0.99
13	8.I wouldn't die	0:44			$0.99
14	9.I remember	0:43			$0.99
15	10.For everything	0:34			$0.99
16	11.I have climbed	1:14			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer I Will Breathe a Mountain, song cycle for mezzo soprano Work 19:37 Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
17	1.Pity Me Not Because the Light of Day	2:10			$0.99
18	2.How To Swing Those Obbligatos Around	1:37			$0.99
19	3.The Crazy Woman	2:06			$0.99
20	4.Just Once	1:28			$0.99
21	5.Never More Will The Wind	1:23			$0.99
22	6.The Sage	1:28			$0.99
23	7.O To Be A Dragon	0:53			$0.99
24	8.The Bustle In a House	1:26			$0.99
25	9.I Saw Eternity	1:34			$0.99
26	10.Night Practice	2:28			$0.99
27	11.The Fish	3:04			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer Tillinghast Duo Work 5:23 Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
28	1.Costa del Nowhere	3:09			$0.99
29	2.Table	2:14			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer Mary Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
30	Mary	5:06			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer 3 Songs from The Wind in the Willows Work 5:14 Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
31	River Song	1:10			$0.99
32	Messing About in Boats	1:45			$0.99
33	Rat's Song	2:19			$0.99
William Bolcom Composer Dynamite Tonite (cabaret opera) Work Carole Farley Soprano, William Bolcom Piano
34	When We Built The Church	2:10			$0.99