Jack Beeson is a fine American composer with an unjustly low profile in the UK. This collection of well-written and at times highly amusing songs and arias should be of interest to mezzos wanting to add some entertaining, but uncommon, items to their recital repertoire. The language is essentially lyrical, which makes them fairly easy to sing and play, yet they maintain quite an original sound world. I'm particularly drawn to the songs over the arias, with personal favourites as the pseudo-transcendental Crazy Jane on God from Four Crazy Jane Songs and the wonderfully fickle I shall forget you presently. A fine and most welcome addition to the mezzo recital repertoire.

Clark Rundell