Feet Bare, Voice Adorned

Joe Banno
Washington Post
Saturday, November 10, 2007; C03

Such were the vocal pleasures at Measha Brueggergosman's recital at the Austrian Embassy on Wednesday that a listener might not have noticed that this stunning Canadian soprano sang barefoot … [Vocal Arts Society… hosted the recital] … She sang a mix of sultry, salty, witty -- and, in the case of Schoenberg's "Brettl-Lieder," deliciously filthy -- cabaret songs … She found an ideal blend of poise and come-hither engagement with the audience that sold, but never oversold, these songs. And her voice was pretty glorious, with its arrestingly dark, contralto-like lower register, its rich and glowing middle, and high notes that boasted a ravishing luster and just enough tang to project them effortlessly. How rare it is to hear crystal-clear diction allied to a voice of such sumptuous tone.

Pianist Roger Vignoles was a model of stylistic savvy and unflagging support.

Benjamin Britten
Cabaret Songs
Tell me the truth about love
Funeral Blues
Johnny
Calypso

Ned Rorem
Early in the morning
Ferry me across the water
For Poulenc

Arnold Schoenberg
From Brettl-Lieder 
Galathea
Gigerlette
Der genügsame Liebhaber
Mahnung
Arie aus dem Spiegel der Arcadien

Francis Poulenc
Hôtel
L'Anguille
Violon
C'est ainsi que tu es
Voyage à Paris

William Bolcom
George
The Total Stranger in the Garden
Erik Satie
Daphénéo
La Diva de l'Empire
Bolcom
Amor