Music Review: ‘A Weekend of Song’

The performances were a composition of 12 voice teachers from UAA and the Anchorage community. Each performance was divided into six singers who each sang a set of songs of their own choosing. I went on the first night.
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In an interview with The Northern Light, Dr. Mari Hahn, a Department of Music professor and voice teacher who organized the event, said that “A Weekend of Song” brought community and university voice teachers together to sing – something that they do less of when they are training their students.
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Hahn said that “art song is poetry set to music.” She said that it is a Western tradition that started in the late 18th century – the 1700s – designed for intimate spaces with a singer and a pianist, such as drawing rooms and smaller spaces. Mozart was one of the genre’s early writers – he would have called an art song piece a “lieder” in German. The art song genre is better known in bigger cities in the United States, but Hahn explained that audiences outside of major metropolitan areas are not as familiar with it.
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Many of the songs weren’t in English, so an electronic board behind the singers displayed translations.
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It was easy to be taken in by the performances. Each performer was a standout, but a few moments were “firsts” for me.
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Singer Eden Barrington entered the stage with pianist Janet Carr-Campbell. Carr-Campbell, the accompanist for the UAA Music Department wore black. Barrington’s long hair reflected the stage lights, and she was wearing a seafoam green dress over boots that looked like they were made of diamonds.
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She was singing her second song, “Du bist die Ruh” by Franz Schubert when I felt drops of liquid fall on my hands. My immediate thought was that something was wrong with the sprinkler system. I looked up and realized that the liquid came from me. My eyes were tearing up, and there were even more tears when I blinked. I had no idea what the words meant – I was just in the moment with the music and crying for reasons I did not know.
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I resolved to bring handkerchiefs with me to the next performance.
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A critical moment happened for me when Michael Scarcelle was singing from a selection by Gerald Finzi. I realized that the pianist’s part of the song was not a mere accompaniment to the singer, but that there was a vocal-piano duet happening. Scarcelle sang in character and, when he paused and looked at Carr-Campbell, she played intricate, scrolling phrases that communicated intention with his singing.

Nancy Caudill’s final piece, “Rabbit at Top Speed” by Leonard Bernstein brought the house down with laughter. On the screen, there was a picture of a rabbit and she sang about how to cook a rabbit, according to Bernstein’s abbreviated recipe from a French cookbook. Her acting skills were top notch with dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures. The audience was enjoying themselves and got lost in the song.
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I caught up with Caudill as I was walking to my car. I asked her how she came up with what to sing. She told me that she had just sung several of her songs at her son’s memorial service a few weeks before.
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Her son, Gary Neumann, was a trained musician who played guitar and sang in a rock band. As an adult, he traveled to “very northern California,” and Caudill went to visit him, as they both loved the redwood forest. She said that her first song, “Crepusculo (Deita Silvane)” by Ottorino Respighi was dedicated to Gary. Crepusculo means “twilight,” and she and Gary loved to watch the sun come up in the redwoods.
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Each of Caudill’s pieces had significance to her son, and when  asked about “Rabbit at Top Speed,” she laughed. “Gary and I liked to cook together, but we were both vegetarians!”
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The recital was outstanding, and every performance by each singer held the audience. To my fellow Seawolves, I encourage you to attend any of the Music Department’s offerings to expand your knowledge of in-person performances, support the arts and have a wonderful evening out.