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4.5
Durme, Durme: Four Ladino Folk Songs
Maureen Batt, soprano; Tara Scott, piano
Leaf Music, 2023
With only four short compositions inspired by prayers, poems, and lullabies, composer Elisha Denburg doesn’t have much room to establish the themes of the Judeo-Spanish folk songs. Luckily, he uses time to its fullest, enlisting soprano Maureen Batt and pianist Tara Scott to convey a wide range of raw emotions by reducing vocals and piano to their bare essentials.
Batt demonstrates extreme flexibility through her limited performances, switching from solemn to jolly to confident without a second thought. She accommodates this wide range of feelings by paying great attention to even the smallest of changes in volume or intensity. The same can be said of Scott’s piano, which, while less prominent than the vocals, makes just as strong an impression. It weaves through the lyrics with a gentle touch, with Scott often opening the floor to Batt to perform undisturbed.
They form a delightful duo, which makes it such a shame this album isn’t any longer. If Denburg were to expand upon this concept and renew more traditional poems for a modern audience, as per his stated inspiration, there is no doubt it would be just as engaging.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
