Art Song Canberra
Sally Wilson, mezzo-soprano,
Mark Kruger, piano
Wesley Music Centre,
Forrest Sunday 2 April
Reviewed by Len Power
A program of songs by Kurt Weill, Alban Berg, Arnold
Schoenberg and Richard Strauss and others does not immediately conjure up a
feeling of a breath of fresh air, but mezzo-soprano, Sally Wilson, and piano
accompanist, Mark Kruger gave us exactly that.
Commencing with three songs by Kurt Weill, Sally Wilson
immediately demonstrated her ability as a cabaret singer, both in voice and in
performance. A very expressive
performer, she created believable characters and sang confidently and with
great technical skill.
Sally Wilson has performed in opera, concert, chamber music,
classical cabaret and recital around the world and in Australia for the past
twenty years. Her performance in “The
Coronation Of Poppea” with the Victorian Opera gained her a Green Room Award
nomination. Born in Ipswich, Mark Kruger
is a laureate of the Orleans International Piano Competition and his
performances have been acclaimed around the world.
The second set of songs was by Gabriel Fauré. Sally Wilson is particularly effective with
songs that describe inner feelings and the dream-like songs were hauntingly
sung. These were followed by several
early songs by Alban Berg with the theme of nature. “Night”, “Crown Of Dreams” and “Summer Days”
were the highlights of this set and the piano accompaniment by Mark Kruger was
particularly fine.
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| Sally Wilson and Mark Kruger |
The remainder of the program continued to surprise and
delight with its variety from Gershwin to Satie, more Weill, Richard Strauss,
Schoenberg and even Michel Legrand.
Every song was a fine showcase for Sally Wilson’s beautiful
voice. There’s a lot of power there when
the song demands it but she is also able to sing with great delicacy and
feeling.
Art Song Canberra always presents performers of a high
calibre but, with the performances of Sally Wilson and Mark Kruger, this
concert can only be described as extraordinary.
This review was first published in the Canberra City News digital edition on Monday 3 April.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Artcetera’ program (9am Saturdays) and
‘Dress Circle’ (3.30pm Mondays).