Soloist with American Composers Orchestra

Carnegie Hall

“The main attraction for many attendees was likely the performance of five songs by Charles Ives with super-star mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Booking an artist of Barton’s stature is quite a coup for ACO, and for the occasion they commissioned orchestrations by different composers for all five of the songs she selected.  Barton’s Ives set opened with the two-part song “Memories.” In its first section, “Very Pleasant,” she showed an innocent glee in her anticipation of an opera performance, running short of breath as she pushed towards the end of long, rapid phrases. Her singing captivated in the warm reminiscences of the “Rather Sad” memories, showing a rich, softly pulsing caramel tone over a dreamy reverie orchestrated with jingling percussion by Hilary Purrington. “The Cage,” which passes by in the blink of an eye, got a film-noir treatment from Jonathan Bailey Holland, opening with a brassy sting. Hannah Lash crafted a rich, string-heavy orchestration for “Immortality,” using brass as a dramatic tool to inject darkness into the sound. The fullness of the accompaniment here was a worthy match to the vocal line, which showcased the magnificent heft and vivid color of Barton’s voice. “The Housatonic at Stockbridge”, another Holland orchestration, portrays the river with hushed strings freshened by high piano chords, creeping, winding, and growing harsher as it gathers strength downstream. In “Autumn,” Barton found a serene calm in her low voice…”
–Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review

“The ACO commissioned three composers to orchestrate five of the songs, which were sung here by the magnificent mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Purrington’s arrangement of ‘Memories’ captured the excitement and simplicity of the song perfectly. It was also the best of the five songs in which to enjoy Barton’s plummy voice. She sang ‘Immortality’ with a classic stateliness, so rarely encountered these days, and revealed the velvety richness in ‘The Housatonic at Stockbridge.’”
–Rick Perdian, Seen and Heard International