·  Wendy Lands Sings the Music of the Pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman

Hip-O Records

Given the terrible events depicted in The Pianist, it's at first disconcerting to discover that the serious interpreter of Chopin, honed by the Holocaust, was also the creator of lighthearted, sweet little cabaret numbers.

And these are generally fine, if not profound, examples of mid-20th-century balladry. Like many good composers of tunes for popular consumption, Szpilman knew when to throw in a few maneuvers from the classical trick bag -- a cross-rhythm to liven up a simple melody, for instance, or an odd turn of harmony to wake up the listener.

Seduction is a recurring theme in this appealing selection of 12 songs, compellingly presented in Wendy Lands' dusky pop alto voice. Szpilman probably wouldn't have imagined accompanying these Berlin/Porter-type melodies with this electronic-acoustic mix, an unmistakably early 21st-century sound. But, as a pop composer, he would probably have approved of the instrumentations and arrangements that draw freely from jazz, swing and soft-rock idioms.

Yes, there are shadows. Although loss, regret and redemption aren't any more prominent here than in most pop music, lyrics such as those in Someday We Will Love Again, Without You, Prisoners of Evening and I'm Set Free have a particularly poignant edge when one ponders how much the composer lost and found during his incredible journey.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wayne Lee Gay, (817) 390-7756 wlgay@star-telegram.com
-- Wayne Lee Gay