Milton Babbitt's vocal music, featured on this album, showcases his deep understanding of poetry's intrinsic musicality, including its rhythms, accent patterns, and rhyme.
Recording & Production
This album presents a complete survey of Milton Babbitt's work for high voice and piano, spanning from 1950 to 2002.
Compositional Technique
Despite his high-modernist angularity, Milton Babbitt's vocal writing almost always maintains a nimble lyricism, ensuring clear communication of the text.
Performer Biography
Pianist Steven Beck, a graduate of the Juilliard School, made his concerto debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and is known for his annual Christmas Eve performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations at Bargemusic.
Performer Biography
Pianist Eric Huebner holds the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Piano Chair at the New York Philharmonic and has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician across the US and Europe.
Performer Biography
Soprano Nina Berman has performed in various settings, from vocal improvisation to opera, with a focus on chamber music and art song, and has given numerous premieres.
Composer Biography
Milton Babbitt (1916-2011) was known for his contributions to serialism and electronic music, but also had a deep engagement with poetry.
