Continual Conversation with a Silent Man – Songs of Lee Hoiby

Peter Stewart, baritone; Lee Hoiby, pianoOne of the most intriguing questions that has confronted me as a singer has been, “What kind of music do I really want to sing?” Surely something that sounds so simple must be obvious. But in 1989 I was given the opportunity to commission some songs for my New York recital debut, and choosing a composer was not such an easy decision. I wanted the songs to be serious, in the tradition of Lieder, but to speak with a genuine, American voice. Rather than looking for experimental or abstract expressions, I realized I craved a direct, lyrical vocabulary with elements of melody; phrases that were crafted to bring out the beauty of the human voice. Who to choose?A friend suggested Lee Hoiby. We arranged to meet, and soon, with the help of Mark Shulgasser—who selects most of the texts Lee sets—I Was There, the first group of songs represented here, was written.In the process of his getting to know my voice, we went through much of his music. Finding so m