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The pair of monumental song cycles for tenor and chamber ensemble that comprise the new CD Open House in many ways represent a culmination of 20th century American art song. Written for lyrical tenor and longtime champion of new work Paul Sperry, the songs by William Bolcom and Robert Beaser combine poetry and music to create a heady mixture that brims with refinement and craft. Sperry is at home in a repertoire that extends from Monteverdi opera and Bach Passions to Britten's "Nocturne" and hundreds of songs in more than a dozen languages, but it is to American music that he has brought a conviction and enthusiasm that has breathed life into it for countless listeners. "Paul Sperry has surpluses of songfulness, curiosity, and intelligence." The New Yorker.