Cantares for Soprano and Guitar
Anna Bartos, soprano,
Gregg Nestor, guitar
Townhall Records THCD-44 (for information call 1-800-327-4212)
To anyone who would proffer the old adage “Those that can, do; those that can’t, teach,” I would offer the example of soprano Anna Bartos. She can do both, and make each seem easy. For proof that she can teach, sign up for her classes in Spanish song literature (Monday evenings from September 24 to December 10 at NYU. For information, call 1-800-998-7200.) To hear her sing, give a spin to her CD, Cantares, in which she addresses a wide range of songs from Spain and South America obviously near to her heart.
Four Sixteenth Century songs open the program, followed by No se emenderá, a rarely encountered cantata by G.F. Handel. The use of guitar accompaniment tends to give all of the material a serene, timeless quality that is universal, rather than belonging to any finite period. It is also delightfully atmospheric and decidedly un-academic; this is no mere classroom exercise, but a bouquet of songs to be savored. The newest songs in the collection, works by Roberto Gerhard, Manuel Ponce and Salvador Moreno, also benefit from this treatment which emphasizes the cultural continuity of this great and often neglected body of literature.
Bartos has a pure voice of sunny sweetness, particularly effective at conveying innocence and joy. She is wonderfully convincing, projecting her texts without seeming to pass judgement on them. Without commenting on the words, she simply delivers them to the listener in a pure state, involved, but also impartial. Do not get the idea that she is overly passive, however. The complex passions of Gerhard’s “La auséncia” are effectively and movingly handled. The melissmas of Ponce’s “Tres Morillas” are passionate and thrillingly authentic. I was initially dismayed at her lack of chest voice in Ponce’s “Estrellita,” the most famous song in the collection. I felt that the lowest notes in this fiendishly rangy melody could have benefited from a touch of chest for emphasis as this killer tune wanders back and forth from the singer’s highest to her lowest tones, and back up again. But just as I assumed she had no chest voice to give, there it was, pungent and firm in the last group, Salvador Moreno’s fascinating Cuatro canciones aztecas. So Miss Bartos knows exactly what she is doing, what effects she desires to achieve. She can please you with her artistry and she can show you how to do it, too. Attention should be paid.
