Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

A fabulous masters recital tonight by @rachaelmbell at CCM this evening, featuring songs by Berlioz, Arnold Schoenberg and Melissa Dunphy (@mormolyke) and a solo madrigal by Francesca Caccini. Accompanied by collaborative pianist Parker Konkle and theorbo player Christopher Wilkie, Bell’s voice was full of glowing resonance, emotive strength and supple beauty. Her facility with languages was equally impressive (French in selections from Berlioz’s Les Nuits D’Été, Italian in the Caccini madrigal and German in Schoenberg’s Op. 2 set of four songs for voice and piano).
The Melissa Dunphy set was perhaps the most surprising. Setting poems by the contemporary writer Nikita Gill, the first three songs showed striking similarities to composers such as Samuel Barber and Gerald Finzi. The last, however (a reflection on the #MeToo movement) was set for a-cappella vocal trio. Shimmering contributions were made in this song by mezzo-soprano Salleigh Harvey and soprano Olivia Knutson.
It is gratifying to think of what wonderful things will come in Ms. Bell’s future as an artist and I cannot wait to hear more about them.