CHAMINADE: Songs
Sooah Park, s ; Sang Woo Kang, p Albany 1778—49 minutes
by James Harrington
Cécil Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote approximately 400 compositions, including 125 songs. She was and is known for her solo piano pieces; her songs have been unjustly overlooked. They grow from the style of Saint-Saens and at their best bring Fauré to mind. Her piano accompaniments are complex and often quite difficult, as one might expect from a concert pianist.
I have accompanied a few Chaminade songs over the years and was pleased to see this release. Sang Woo Kang’s playing is quite good—beautiful phrasing, with a lot of nuance and expert accompanying. Unfortunately, Sooah Park has only a few notes here and there that I’d call OK. Her middle and lower registers are weak, and her upper range has a heavy vibrato that I found unacceptable. I also found the balance to be overly weighted to the voice, so the best part of the performance (piano) was mostly set in the background and sometimes buried.
The 18 songs here amount to less than 50 minutes, and my favorite recording of Chaminade songs is over 76 minutes. Anne Sofie von Otter’s marvelous disc (DG 471331, J/A 2002) has 25 songs plus three pieces for violin and piano and three for two pianos. Kang’s playing measures up to Bengt Forsberg and Peter Jablonski on DG, but Park’s singing is not in the same league.
Albany includes English translations and an enjoyable and interesting essay by Kang. DG has both the French lyrics and English translations and an equally good essay. The DG recording is still available (used). Get that and discover some great French melodies.