Mezzo-soprano Katie Bray has released a captivating new album dedicated to the multifaceted songwriting of the exiled composer Kurt Weill. Titled 'In Search of Youkali', the record on the Chandos label features Bray alongside pianist William Vann, accordionist Murray Grainger, and double bassist Marianne Schofield.
A Journey Anchored by a Haunting Melody
The album's conceptual core is the 1935 song 'Youkali', a lilting tango that represented for Weill an unattainable land of desire. This piece acts as the lodestar for the entire musical voyage. The programme begins with a haunting, unaccompanied rendition of its melody, with further fragments interspersed before the song is presented in full at the album's conclusion.
The collection showcases Weill's chameleonic career through songs in German, French, and English. It includes both well-known numbers and rarer finds, such as material written for an unfinished Huckleberry Finn musical on which Weill was working at the time of his death in 1950.
Artistic Fluency and Communicative Power
The musical partnership between Bray and Vann, developed over several years, results in a notable and easy fluency. Grainger's accordion and Schofield's double bass – the latter borrowed from her work with the Hermes Experiment – are used with telling subtlety, adding texture without overwhelming the songs.
The critical highlight, however, is Katie Bray's outstanding vocal performance. She demonstrates how a trained, elevated voice can sound utterly natural and communicative in this repertoire. Her delivery ranges from the deliciously acerbic tones of 'Barbarasong' to the bleakly controlled emotion of 'Je ne t'aime pas', capturing the full emotional spectrum of Weill's work.
A Testament to Weill's Enduring Legacy
'In Search of Youkali' is more than a simple recital; it is a thoughtfully curated journey that reflects the itinerant and yearning spirit of its subject. By weaving the central theme of 'Youkali' throughout the tracklist, Bray and her collaborators have created a cohesive and poignant exploration of a composer forever in search of a musical home.
The album stands as a significant contribution to the recorded catalogue of Kurt Weill's music, offering fresh insights and powerful interpretations that will appeal to both aficionados and new listeners alike.
