Collection: Marian Anderson Unpublished Recordings 1936-52
Published:
COMPOSERS: Brahms,Purcell,Sibelius
LABELS: VAI
WORKS: Vier ernste Gesänge
PERFORMER: Marian Anderson (contralto), William Primrose (viola), Kosti Vehanen, Franz Rupp (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: VAIA 1168 ADD mono
One of the ubiquitous Ward Marston’s most valuable recent projects is a disc of ‘rare and unpublished recordings, 1938-52’ from the MARIAN ANDERSON Archives at the Library of the University of Pennsylvania. Anderson had a much wider repertoire than her published recorded output reflects, and this VAI disc fills such glaring lacunae as Brahms’s Four Serious Songs (recorded in 1952), two more Sibelius songs, and a moving (if abbreviated) Lament from Dido and Aeneas, all of which demonstrate Anderson’s enviable ability to adapt to the expressive demands of widely different styles of music.