Mark Steven Doss, Ken Smith & Stas Venglevski - Welcome to My World (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Welcome To My World, Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Mark Steven Doss’s debut recording for Cedille Records, is a solo vocal recital showcasing Doss’s extraordinary career and artistic versatility. The recording provides a rich and varied musical experience, reflecting Doss’s range as a performer.

Mark Steven Doss has graced the stages of over 60 major international opera companies in more than 100 operatic roles.

This album celebrates the success of the renowned Bel Canto Foundation, of whose annual competition Doss was the1985 Grand Prize Winner. With the support of the Foundation, Doss had the opportunity to study with legendary tenor Carlo Bergonzi and embark on a continuing major international operatic career that has already spanned four decades. Cedille Records continues and immortalizes the Bel Canto Foundation’s tradition of supporting Chicago vocal talent with this release.

Doss is joined by celebrated pianist Ken Smith, who has also made significant contributions to the Bel Canto Foundation, including playing for the Foundation’s annual competition and serving as the principal coach for its seminars.

The album begins with music inspired by Goethe’s Faust by Berlioz, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Boito, and Gounod, followed by iconic opera arias from composers such as Bizet, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, and Giordano. The album further explores three popular Neapolitan songs — in which Doss is joined by accordionist Stas Venglevski — followed by selections from music dramas by Weill and Gruenberg, as well as songs of faith.

Doss pays tribute to trailblazing African American baritone Todd Duncan, who was one of the first Black singers to perform with a major opera company, notably originating the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess. In an homage to Duncan, Doss performs three songs from Kurt Weill’s opera Lost in the Stars, for which Duncan had originated the lead role of Stephen Kumalo.

The album was produced by the Grammy-winning team of James Ginsburg and engineer Bill Maylone, and recorded on November 28–30, 2022 at the Sasha and Eugene Jarvis Opera Hall at DePaul University (Chicago, IL).

Tracklist:
01. Berlioz: “Une puce gentille” from La damnation de Faust
02. Beethoven: “Flohlied” from Faust, Op. 75, No. 3
03. Mussorgsky: Pesnja a Blaxe (Song of the flea)
04. Boito: “Ecco il mondo” from Mefistofele
05. Gounod: “Le veau d’or” from Faust
06. Bizet: “Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre” (Toreador Song) from Carmen
07. Handel: “Sibillar gli angui d’Aletto” from Rinaldo
08. Mozart: “Non più andrai” from Le Nozze di Figaro
09. Rossini: “Là del ciel” from La Cenerentola
10. Giordano: “Nemico della patria?” from Andrea Chénier
11. Capua: ’O sole mio
12. Curtis: Torna a Surriento
13. Curtis: Non ti scordar di me
14. Weill: “Lost in the Stars” from Lost in the Stars
15. Weill: “O Tixo, Tixo Help Me!” from Lost in the Stars
16. Weill: “Thousands of Miles” from Lost in the Stars
17. Gruenberg: “Oh, Lawd Jesus, heah my Prayer” from Emperor Jones
18. Dorsey: Peace in the Valley
19. Dorsey: Take my Hand, Precious Lord
20. Brodzky: I’ll Walk with God
21. Graham: You Raise Me Up


Thanks to the Original customer!