James Harkless, baritone

Even the most gifted must approach the performance of German lieder with utmost concentration of vocal and intellectual capabilities. Musically, these songs demand controlled tone-color and intonation that come from years of training. At the same time, the singer must make the all-important text meaningful to the listeners without resorting to the cruder acting techniques of opera.

James Harkless is gifted with an unusual insight into these problems. His program of Schubert and Schumann songs placed great emphasis on projecting the mood and textual imagery of their poems. With sensitive phrasing and exceptionally clear German he caught the spirit of Ungeduld and Ich Grolle Nicht. In fact, it was this "interpretative" excellence that made the purely musical results disappointing by comparison.

Mr. Harkless' voice has natural limitations that have not yet been corrected or turned to more effective use. The very thick and rich sound he produces cannot trace the delicate line of Schumann's Mondnacht nor suggest the naivete of Schubert's love-sick miller. In the lower limits of his range, notes lose their individuality and produce an unpleasant drone. Above his beautiful middle voice, Harkless' pitch control gets out of hand, with climatic high notes sometimes painfully flat. In short, he knows what effects to strive for, but he can not always command them.

Shortcomings of this nature become so important, of course, only in music like lieder, where they play a crucial part in the composer's intent. In Negro spirituals, which formed the second part of the program, "interpretive" values become uppermost. Once freed from demands beyond his technique, Harkless relaxed and gave really moving renditions. Three of the songs were somewhat marred by self-conscious accompaniments, but the two selections sung without piano provided magnificent examples of our native music performed with understanding and deep affection.