ALBURNUM | ALL MUSIC

All Music

by James Manheim

"Alburnum" is definitely a vocabulary word of the week, meaning "the delicate outer layers of recently grown wood found between the heartwood and the bark of a tree." The word appears in one of the four prose segments from Henry David Thoreau's Walden set by composer Gregory Spears and appears on this album by baritone Brian Mulligan and pianist Timothy Long. Mulligan moves easily between different modes of expression; Missy Mazzoli's As Long as We Live is a typically passionate outpouring by Walt Whitman, while Mason Bates' Songs from the Plays (the plays themselves are imaginary ones) are pert, sometimes humorous pieces that will appeal to fans of William Bolcom's vocal music, but the Spears work is a real standout, and it matches Mulligan's talents beautifully. He excels in the text-heavy music throughout the album, and physical CD listeners will not need the included texts. Spears' music has a luminous post-minimalism, reflecting Thoreau's spirituality, into which Mulligan settles wonderfully. There is a real alchemy of singer and song here, and his interactions with pianist Long reflect careful thought and working-out. This is an entirely distinctive contemporary song recital from the increasingly active Bright Shiny Things label.