Above: William Socolof in a Shervin Lainez portrait
Author: Oberon
Wednesday March 15th, 2022 - A noontime recital by bass-baritone William Socolof presented by Young Concert Artists at the Morgan Library. Having heard Mr. Socolof in his YCA debut recital in December 2021, my friend Rob and I were keen to hear him again today. As on that December evening, Gracie Francis was again at the piano for Mr. Socolof's recital this afternoon.
Today's was one of the finest song recitals I've ever heard; the program was very much to my liking, with music by three composers I especially love: Ravel, Mahler, and Schubert. Both in voice and communicative gifts, Mr. Socolof could hold his own among such names as Sir Bryn Terfel, Wolfgang Holzmair, and Jose van Dam. It's a gorgeous and distinctive sound, with a stage presence to match. Much of the time, he is shaping the music with his expressive hands as he sings. Equally at home in French and German repertoire, his diction flows freely and is devoid of mannerisms.
In his welcoming address, YCA President Daniel Kellogg told us that Mr. Socolof would soon be heading across the Atlantic for a year with Cologne Opera; I began at once to think of roles he should take on: Wolfram in TANNHAUSER and Mandryka in ARABELLA came immediately mind, as did Golaud in PELLEAS ET MELISANDE and the title-role in Tchaikovsky's EUGEN ONEGIN.
To his good fortune, Mr. Socolof has found a kindred musical spirit in the person of pianist Gracie Francis (above); her attention to nuance and her impeccable technique gave every song the perfect cushioning radiance that best shows off the Socolof timbre.
Maurice Ravel's charming Histoires naturelles opened the program. These are miniature portraits of animals, or rather of humans who take on the aspects of various animal species. The first is Le Paon (the Peacock) which opens with a rather jazzy piano passage. Touches of humor pop up in the vocal line, which leads to a big outburst. Then Mr. Solocof's powerful voice finally gives us the peacock's braying sound.
For Le Grillon (the Cricket), Ms. Francis introduces a shimmering sound. The singer, savoring every word of the Jules Renard poem, tells of the cricket going about its domestic chores as the piano chirps. As the insect settles in for the night, the music turns slow and dreamy.
In Le Cygne (the Swan), the pianist evokes sparkling sunlight on a stream where the swan glides. Mr. Socolof, lyrical at first, grows more passionate; he sculpts the lines superbly over soft keyboard figurations. Then the song turns humorous as the swan dives, seeking worms in the mud below.
Le Martin-Pêcheur (the Kingfisher) brings forth Ms. Francis's gift for delicacy. A haunting atmosphere develops as Mr. Socolof sings tenderly, his tone caressive. Here, as throughout the program, the singer''s expressive hands are hypnotic to watch.
Finally, La Pintade (the Guinea Fowl) has a frantic start and an amusing presentation. Dramatic outbursts alternate with calm moments, the music turning bouncy before a final eruption.
Hearing Gustav Mahler's Rückert Lieder invariably make me thing of my late friend Makiko Narumi, the Japanese contralto who studied at Juilliard with Beverley Peck Johnson and whose career was just blossoming when she succumbed to cancer at the age of 33.
These songs can be sung in any order the singer chooses. Mr. Socolof opened with the evocative Ich atmet' einen lIinden Duft; displaying his handsome timbre to perfect effect, he thoughtfully measured out varying degrees of vibrato to underline his poetic interpretation. Rich deep tones were meshed into the vocal line, and his sense of control over his voice is truly impressive. Ms. Francis brought special beauty to the song's postlude.
In Liebst du um Schönheit, one of the most enchanting love songs ever written, Mr. Socolof's singing was ideally placed throughout the range, again cannily meting out the vibrato to make the most of every phrase. Such heartfelt singing! And again, Ms. Francis crafted the piano part to enhance the romantic atmosphere.
Restless music for the piano opens Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder! in which both singer and pianist seemed to revel in every word and note of the only lively song in the cycle.
We come next to the powerful Um Mitternacht, wherein the darkest colourings of the Socolof tonal palette were gorgeously summoned up, and his vast dynamic range expressively employed. In phrase after phrase, the artists drew us deeper and deeper into the music, culminating with a great outpouring of emotion, thrillingly set forth: a glorious finish.
I was very glad that Mr. Socolof saved Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen for last because it seems impossible that anything could follow it. This song is so meaningful to me - increasingly so as the years rush by to time's inevitable end - and I could not ask for a more poignant rendering of it than I heard this afternoon.
After taking a brief break, singer and pianist returned for some Schubert songs to complete the program; Mr. Socolof chose as a theme the four seasons.
Spring is welcomed in the familiar Frühlingsglaube, with gently rolling piano motifs underpinning the vocal line, in which Mr. Socolof's mastery of tonal colour was again engagingly in evidence. Summer comes with Die Sommernacht, a pensive song with phrases that have a slightly hesitant feeling. The singer's multi-hued phrases were again illuminated by his extraordinary pianist. Herbst (Autumn) has a turbulent start to its strikingly dramatic setting of the text. Ms. Francis was really marvelous here; the song in fact put me very much in mind of Erlkönig in Schubert's use of the piano.
Der Winterabend (Winter Evening) begins with a gentle, lulling piano introduction. The song, which is quite long, has a reassuring coziness about it: a feeling of being safe at home. Mr. Scocolof's drew upon that atmosphere with singing that imbued the music with a great sense of comfort and quiet joy. As the poem ends, the piano sustains the mood in a lovely postlude. For several moments as the final note faded into memory, stillness prevailed in the hall. Slowly, Mr. Socolof was drawn back to our reality from his enchanted inner world; how generous of him to share a vision of that world with us.
~ Oberon