Was My Brother in the Battle? - Songs of War (2008)

Here's an album of war songs with a difference, or with a lot of differences. Take the two songs by middle twentieth century satirist Tom Lehrer. It's not absolutely unprecedented to hear someone else sing Lehrer's songs, but it's rare enough to make you sit up and take notice of what's going on in the rest of the program. And you find plenty of other original things. It's not just that baritone Stephen Swanson combines art songs, popular music, and songs of the American Civil War, which somehow don't fit either of those ... Read More

Here's an album of war songs with a difference, or with a lot of differences. Take the two songs by middle twentieth century satirist Tom Lehrer. It's not absolutely unprecedented to hear someone else sing Lehrer's songs, but it's rare enough to make you sit up and take notice of what's going on in the rest of the program. And you find plenty of other original things. It's not just that baritone Stephen Swanson combines art songs, popular music, and songs of the American Civil War, which somehow don't fit either of those categories. The chronological spread of the album is innovative: it's worthwhile to have Civil War songs bump up against those about World War II and Vietnam. And, subject matter aside, the arrangements of popular songs by pianist David Gompper (who also contributes an original setting of an Abraham Lincoln letter) are fresh in themselves. Gompper lets each song be itself, respecting the melody and meter, but he adds accompaniments that vary according to the tone of the lyrics. Bob... Read Less

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2008, Albany Music UPC: 034061105626 CD See All