A Quiet Thing: Songs for Voice and Guitar

1	A Quiet Thing (from "Flor
2	Blackberry Winter for voi
3	So Pretty, song for voice
4	My Shining Hour, song (fo
5	Pámpano Verde
6	Con amores, la mi madre f
7	A la caça, sus a caça, so
8	Come again, sweet love do
9	Flow, my tears, fall from
10	Music for a While (from "
11	Vaga luna, che inargenti,
12	Malinconia, ninfa gentile
13	Ma rendi pur contento, so
14	Ave Maria, for voice & pi
15	A Simple Song, for voice
16	Ellens Gesang III ("Ave M
17	Beautiful Dreamer, for vo
18	Shenandoah, folk song
19	Work(s): Plaisir d'amour
A Quiet Thing: Songs for Voice and Guitar
1.	A Quiet thing 4:39
	Composed by John Kander
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
2.	Blackberry Winter for voice & piano 4:34
	Composed by Alec Wilder
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
3.	So Pretty (from "West Side Story"), song for voice & piano 2:26
	Composed by Leonard Bernstein
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
4.	My shining hour 4:04
	Composed by Harold Arlen
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
5.	Pánpano Verde 2:36
	Composed by Francisco de la Torre
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
6.	Con amores, la Mi Madre for 4 voices 2:37
	Composed by Juan de Anchieta
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
7.	A la caza 1:39
	Composed by Gabriel Mena
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
8.	Come again, sweet love doth now invite (First Book of Songs), for 4 voices & lute 2:24
	Composed by John Dowland
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
9.	Flow, my tears, fall from your springs (Second Book of Songs), for 2 voices & lute 4:40
	Composed by John Dowland
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
10.	Music for a While (from "Oedipus"), song, Z. 583/2 3:46
	Composed by Henry Purcell
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
11.	Vaga luna, che inargenti, song for voice & piano 3:59
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
12.	Malinconia, ninfa gentile for voice & piano (6 ariette da camera) 1:41
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
13.	Ma rendi pur contento, song for voice & piano (6 ariette da camera) 2:33
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
14.	Ave Maria, for voice & piano (or other vocal arrangements; after Bach's Prelude No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1) 2:36
	Composed by Charles Gounod
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
15.	A Simple Song (from "Mass", for voice & piano 3:59
	Composed by Leonard Bernstein
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
16.	Ellens Gesang III ("Ave Maria"), song for voice & piano, D. 839 (Op. 52/6) 4:31
	Composed by Franz Schubert
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
17.	Beautiful Dreamer for voice & piano 3:00
	Composed by Stephen Foster
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
18.	Shenandoah, folk song 4:30
	Composed by American Traditional
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels
19.	Plaisir d'amour 3:52
	Composed by Padre Martini
	Performed by David Daniels [countertenor], Craig Ogden and David Lee Daniels

Barnes & Noble

David Daniels is arguably today's preeminent countertenor, but he's not content merely to sing Handel arias. A Quiet Thing is a searching exploration of music that's usually terra incognita for countertenors, and its success is due as much to Daniels's knack for imaginative programming as to his deep musical artistry and beautiful, rich voice. To be sure, some selections would still sound perfectly at home on an early-music program, notably Dowland's exquisite "Flow My Tears," a 400-year-old gem that makes for one of the disc's most poignant highlights. Likewise, Purcell's lovely "Music for a While" is a natural fit with the singer's traditional repertoire. But beyond that, Daniels dives into the countertenor deep end, offering songs as diverse as Steven Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer," Schubert's "Ave Maria" (with the well-known Bach/Gounod version thrown in afterward), and an imaginatively arranged "Shenandoah," as well as charmers by Bernstein, bel canto classics by Bellini, and others. It's a disc that crisscrosses centuries and bridges stylistic chasms, but Daniels's sure musical instincts and graceful sense of phrase give a remarkable cohesion to the crazy-quilt program. Credit must also go to Craig Ogden, who makes a sensitive partner on the guitar, elegantly complementing Daniels on one of the most surprising successes of the year. EJ Johnson

All Music Guide

It may take a while to wrap your ears around "A Quiet Thing." Afterall, how often do you hear a countertenor sing Harold Arlen, let alone on the same album with John Dowland and Bellini? But David Daniels is a stylistically nimble and unfailingly musical performer, and a singer in the fullest sense -- not just a niche voice best confined to Handel and Monteverdi. Here, he and guitarist Craig Ogden deliver an intimate duet program of songs from all over the map, and while not every track succeeds equally, all are lovingly performed, finely detailed, and beautifully sung. Daniels uses some less "legit" vocal colors in the Broadway selections, and manages to find just the right tone for each of the three Bellini songs. The Spanish selections bring out the unusual richness and warmth of his singing, and Gabriel Mena's "A la caza" gives Ogden the welcome opportunity to let loose with rich chords. The most successful track on the album is the anonymous "Shenandoah," arranged by Roland Chadwick; the pointed harmonics of the guitar and a soulful delivery combine to great effect. Ogden arranged all of the other selections himself, and he plays his very idiomatic transcriptions beautifully, adapting to the differing styles and moods at will. "A Quiet Thing" was recorded in two different rooms, and the acoustical differences are readily audible. Also, a few spots reveal an uncharacteristically covered, almost diffuse quality to Daniels' voice; hopefully in his quest to broaden his (and listeners') horizons, he will not leave behind the crystalline singing that made him such a star. Allen Schrott

Time Out New York

On A Quiet Thing, [David Daniels] teams with gifted Australian guitarist Craig Ogden for an intriguing program that casts its net unusually wide.... Dowland’s "Come again, sweet love"...may have never been so beautifully realized as on this CD. Parlor evergreens like "Ave Maria" rub shoulders with gossamer-voiced "Beautiful Dreamer" and Bernstein’s Aquarian Age anthem "A Simple Song".... Both artists shine brightest of all in a harmonically sophisticated, tear-inducing "Shenandoah."