The name William Bolcom is not exactly a household name in Australia, yet the contribution of this 85-year-old to twentieth century music is of huge significance. Some lovers of vocal music might be familiar with a handful of songs, such as Amor, which have been popular encore pieces – catchy, entertaining and infused with the enticingly dark shadow created by Bolcom and his librettist Arthur Weinstein.
Thanks to Musica Viva Australia, we were able to hear twenty of his cabaret songs ranging from 1978 to 1996 in a form based on a concept by Artistic Director Paul Kildea and Ian Dickson. With further development by dramaturg Hilary Bell, a coherent narrative was created with the funeral of “George” (one of the better-known Bolcom songs) providing the framework. Using an economy of means, the combination of Constantine Costi’s imaginative direction and Matthew Marshall’s effective lighting design, a large cast of disparate characters took their turn eulogising (or not) dead George.
Written for his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, Bolcom’s cabaret songs provide an irresistible opportunity for a singer to display her vocal and theatrical credentials. Hair in a functional ponytail and dressed in a black sleeveless top, pants and boots, mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley exuded an aura of edgy athleticism in keeping with the world of cabaret.
Prior to the performance, the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall stage appeared overly bare, impersonal and not at all a setting expected for cabaret songs. A Steinway to one side, a foldup black chair centre stage, a drinks trolley at the back and a funeral wreath on a stand at the other side looked bleak. Was this the most appropriate setting? It turns out that it was George’s wish, although the brass band and the Vienna Boys’ choir exceeded budget. Entering during a blackout, Dowsley became the rather anxious organiser and chief eulogizer, this characterisation interweaving among the many others.
With dramatically stylized gestures – complete with some striking shadows – between songs, and rose-coloured lighting bathing each song, Dowsley and pianist Michael Curtain took us on a roller-coaster of musical and poetic ideas. Unfortunately, it was not always easy to understand the sung text – so much was poetic and unexpected – but much of the gist was conveyed. Even if you hadn’t been able to understand a word, Dowsley’s rich, expressive voice, whether singing or delivering dialogue was to be savoured. To embody the dialogue of the various funeral participants or the song content, the way she drew upon her wide vocal range and colour was astonishing. Whether sitting casually on the edge of the stage, joining the front row audience drink in hand, eating, coughing, crooning or holding a conversation with herself (a real swivel on a dime there), she held us enthralled.
The plaintive cry of the child “Dad!” as she seeks to understand the meaning of life and the meaning of her: “who am I”, “What is the soul?” of Love in the Thirties contrasted with the simple ballad-like simplicity of Blue when Dowsley took her place at the piano. And then there was the music itself: The slow jazz waltz tempo of Oh Close the Curtain; the rippling scales of The Total Stranger in the Garden; or the waltz of He Tipped the Waiter – the song that provides the bracketed part of the concert’s title and fits well with the dubious character of George – just the type to be “counting up his conquests on grey suede gloves”. All played with such relaxed panache by Curtain that the listener realized that the composer, who accompanied his wife in these remarkable songs, was no mean pianist himself.
It seemed a little strange to have the final two songs: the popular, biting Song of Black Max and the gentle chord progressions of Waitin as encores. While the preceding, George, acted an excellent summary of the darker themes, including his gruesome murder, it is debatable whether it was necessary for the lights to come up and thanks given following it. Nevertheless, the sudden blackout after the second encore did make a dramatic point.
This striking presentation of Bolcom’s songs certainly whetted the appetite to hear more. Perhaps Anna Dowsley is already looking at the song cycle he wrote for Marilyn Horne. There would be plenty of music lovers eager to hear that. As this performance clearly demonstrated, William Bolcom’s compositions deserve to be more than musical postscripts.
Photo credit: Charlie Hardy
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Heather Leviston reviewed “Long Lost Loves (and Grey Suede Gloves)”, presented by Musica Viva Australia at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall on March 5, 2024.
