Grand Larsen-y: Vocal Music of Libby Larsen. Terry Rhodes, soprano; Ellen Williams, mezzo-soprano; Benton Hess, piano; Steven Reis, cello. Liner notes by Terry Rhodes, Ellen Williams, and Libby Larsen. Song texts and biographies of all artists included. 2004. Albany Records: TROY 634.


Recordings of Libby Larsen's songs have heretofore been few and far between. This is the first to be devoted in its entirety to her vocal compositions. Two of Larsen's more familiar and more frequently performed song cycles, Songs from Letters: Calamity Jane to Her Daughter Janey, 1880–1902 and Beloved, Thou Hast Brought Me Many Flowers, are included in the program, as well as the newer and lesser-known cycle, Chanting to Paradise, which in time might well prove to be an audience favorite. Delightful excerpts from her operas Eric Hermannson's Soul, Dreaming Blue, and Mrs. Dalloway whet the listener's aural appetite. Certainly the most unusual piece included on this recording is Hell's Belles, for mezzo-soprano and five-octave bell choir, which is rarely performed due to the difficulty of the piece and the forces required to present it.