In a sure sign that the art song is far from dead, composers like Lori Laitman are devoting themselves to the genre with some attractive results. Laitman is particularly adept at suiting rhythm to text, and devising accompaniments that carry their weight. The first two groups on this recording are set to early 20th-century poems by Sara Teasdale, and their wistful, subdued tonal atmosphere reflects the character of the poetry. William Sharp sings the second of these groups, a five-song set entitled Mystery (composed in 1997-98), and his elegant baritone and clear diction, together with a lively piano accompaniment played by the composer, make this the best performance on the disc. Sharp does a fine job as well with the musing "Echo" (to a poem by Christina Rossetti), and swings with "The Ballad Singer" (Thomas Hardy), both also accompanied by Laitman.

The composer makes an intriguingly apt accompaniment choice for I Never Saw Another Butterfly (1995-96), a cycle on texts written by children in the Terezin concentration camp. Gary Louie’s saxophone playing brings out the haunting quality of these settings....

The Love Poems of Marichiko, six songs composed in 1993 to poems by Kenneth Rexroth, has the freest, most virtuosic (and exposed) vocal writing, artfully following the irregular lines of text; the group is beautifully accompanied by cellist Thomas Kraines. .. [In] Days and Nights (1994-95), which goes in for drama and big leaps — Laitman’s treatment of "Over the Fence" (a poem by Emily Dickinson) is delightfully playful, and her setting of "Wild Nights" swirls and swoops through Dickinson’s vivid, disjointed words.

Heidi Waleson, Schwann Inside Jazz & Classical, December, 2000