Hat er mir Rosen gebracht – Songs of Joseph Marx

"Joseph Marx (1882-1964) wrote a considerable volume of music in various genres (except no opera), but was also active in Austria as an important pedagogue, critic, and writer. In his taste and philosophy he was decidedly conservative and opposed to the serialists, who were centered largely in Vienna. His songs, about 150 in all, were mostly written in the few years after 1908; they are with piano, but he also orchestrated about 20 of them. These pieces were very popular in his day, but when Marx branched out into other genres, his popularity waned. Kendra Colton, an American soprano who has appeared widely here and abroad, teaches at Oberlin. She sounds splendid here – lovely, even tone with a perfectly controlled vibrato and wonderful high notes (often ranging to Bflat in pieces like `Serenata' and `Hat dich die Liebe Berührt'). She captures the romantic texts (many of them really over the top!) with conviction and sincerity. Some little songs like `Ständchen' and `Selige Nacht', which close the recital, are the epitome of the romantic song. Special mention should be made of Laura Ward, who tackles the often challenging piano parts. The accompaniments themselves show lots of imagination, as in the pictorial writing in `Windräder' or the light-heartedness of `Pierrot Dandy'. Generally speaking, the pianist has to be just as fine as the singer, and Ward is excellent. "