photo by Judy Kirtley, copyright2008
Molly Watson
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Earth Day celebrated its 40th birthday on April 22 and Turtle Bay had a celebration of its own. Nestled in the heart of the City, soprano Molly Watson regaled the Richmond Room at the Turtle Bay Music School on 52nd Street on the East Side. And what a celebration it became.

Imagine. The evening is balmy with breezes that blow down the cross-town streets with hints of rain on their breath. As you look this way and that to cross the street, the western sky is brilliant with a sunset made more dramatic by a volcano halfway round the world. And Molly Watson's salute to American and English composers and poets was the perfect tribute for spring.

At this entertainment in three acts, the first act consisted of songs culled from Shakespeare and his contemporaries, set by some of the great composers of more recent times. Watson's high coloratura soprano, which she explains to non-classical folk as "singing notes only dogs may hear," is well suited to the music she chose. The range and control of her voice had several people tapping in time. We were given notice early on, however, that the Diva does not do duets with cellphones. Nor does she recommend the audience, not coincidently consisting of a great number of singers from NYC and environs, commission such a piece. The diva did unwilling duets, however, with the noise of the City, as having the windows open was absolutely necessary. I felt that Watson's grace, aplomb and focus were highly evident as she sang lullabies to unknowing passers by. And what better songs than Shakespearean in flavor!

Watson comes from a family of educators, so this recital was replete not only with musical enjoyment, but also with tidbits that made the music more meaningful-about the pastoral feel to Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Orpheus;" about Amy Beach's "O mistress mine," coupled with the fact new to some that she was the preeminent American composer of her time, a genius, yet whom among us, who has not had music history, knows of her work? Watson focused on artists from the Northeast, as well, among her composers and poets. The first act was infused with her love of continental appreciations also, with the act including French composer Francis Poulenc's "Fancy," and also American composer Dominick Argento's setting of "Dirge," from his celebrated cycle "Six Elizabethan Songs."

The program featured gorgeous photos, as the Song Soiree wound down with "Lo! here the gentle Lark," from "Venus and Adonis," by Sir Henry Bishop, whom we all know as writing less lofty fare. Watson's range and dynamic technique are also very polished and inspiring to other sopranos, certainly this one. But I digress.

Gene Rohrer, an accomplished singer, actor, vocal coach, pianist and accompanist-these last two very different skills, as Watson attests-provided virtuosic partnering. They formed more of a duet and, and in the final piece of the first act, Michael Laderman, flute rounded out an amazing trio of delight. Laderman watched Watson with great attention. In fact from where I was sitting, Watson appeared to have a halo from the light behind her-beautiful!

Watson's chops are in classical and other genres, including opera, operetta, folk and more. This solo recital, she says, is also a misnomer. Her wit shone through her discourse, as did Rohrer's and Laderman's. Watson's goal was more of a traditional soirée among friends, and she achieved that very well.

After the first intermission, the audience was treated to a song cycle by John Duke, in which each song could not have been more different from the next, beginning with an English treatment of "A Piper," to Seamus O'Sullivan's poetry, singing and ringing with onomatopoetic accompaniment, followed by the bluesy "I can't be talkin' of love," in which Esther Mathews' poetry tells us quite the opposite of the words themselves. A. E. Housman's familiar "Loveliest of Trees" was set more differently beautiful, and the very modern "i carry your heart," by the equally modern e. e. cummings made my heartstrings hum with emotion for my own beloved. Brilliantly performed, as Watson filled the air with resonant floating beauty!

The final act came all too soon, as the noises of the buses and car horns spent their energy, and a gentle susurrus of sound suffused the twilight. Songs by Others was the highlight of this act, including the lilting boat "Boat Song," Harriet Ware's setting of Montrose J. Moses' poetry. "Velvet Shoes" was beautifully evocative of a winter walk, in Randall Thompson's setting of Elinor Wylie. Carrie Jacobs-Bond may have been the woman Lieber and Stoller were speaking of when they wrote "I'm a Woman." She was active in composing. at the turn of the century, and was the founder of the Boston Music Company. Few knew that it was begun in the hallway of her house, and her strength if not her invention makes her one of Watson's favorite composers. Jacobs-Bond's setting of Moira O'Neill's "Birds" permitted a wonderful display of Watson's technique. One of my favorites of the evening was, sadly, one of the shortest. "The Lemon-Colored Dodo" is one of Anonymous' greatest works, and Irving Mopper's quick-march setting was a delightful palate-cleanser, setting the stage for the tour-de-force finale. "Bravura variations," Adolphe Adam's setting of an alleged Mozart tune, "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman," that we know today as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," rounded out the evening in a truly bravura manner, with the piano supporting the interplay of flute and voice in an alternating duet, where first one sparkled in a fioritura passage, then the other played against a spare line by the other voice. The humor, chemistry and devotion of the performers to one another, and the quality of their music, sent us all out into the warm evening with a great deal to savor over, not only our trip home, but also when we're on a boat, when we hear a bird, or enjoy the vocal pyrotechnics of a virtuoso that vibrates in the ear drums, as well as in the memory.