Mary Fahl
Mary Fahl | |
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Sony Classical V2 | |
Website | MaryFahl.com |
Mary Fahl (born Mary Faldermeyer, July 1, 1958) is an
Early life, education
Mary Fahl was born Mary Faldermeyer in
After graduating, Fahl and her sister left the United States to spend 1½ years in Europe; she said that she received an "informal graduate degree in music" by checking out vinyl records at a library in the Netherlands and listening to and analyzing them.[5][6][8] She also earned money by house-sitting and singing in cafes.[7]
October Project
In 1990, Fahl briefly considered attending a post-grad pre-med program at
While she was the lead singer of the October Project, the media occasionally depicted Fahl as "a goddess of Goth, a figure admired by followers of the vampire movement."[6] Fahl, however, has stated she does not identify as Goth. She has theorized that because she had little money at the time, leaving her unable to afford any more than one black dress, and chiefly wore that one black dress to all her public appearances, the media misinterpreted her image.[6]
Commercial work
After leaving October Project, Fahl spent time earning a living by working in the commercial world. She has also voiced spots for
Solo career
After leaving October Project, Fahl embarked on a solo career.[12] As a solo artist, she writes her own songs, usually in collaboration with other musicians.[8]
Lenses of Contact (2001)
Fahl released an
- Reviews
The EP was released to favorable reviews.
In a live review of a Lenses of Contact show,
The New York Press wrote the EP "makes us embarrassed for both the mincing stampede of girl singers on the charts and for Fahl herself, who actually cares enough to sing, literally, from her guts, while daringly carving every phrase into dizzying terrain."[19]
The Other Side of Time (2003)
Shortly after
Two songs on the album featured prominently on soundtracks. "Going Home" was written by Fahl[22] to appear in the opening of the Civil War film Gods and Generals.[11] The album's closing track, Fahl's version of the traditional Irish tune "The Dawning of the Day,"[22] was featured in the film version of the Broadway play The Guys, along with several reprises of the song.[4]
- Style, themes
Fahl wrote her lyrics to "The Dawning of the Day" to honor firefighters who died in the
The Other Side of Time showed some additional sides to Fahl's style, bringing in
- Reviews
Overall, The Other Side of Time met with largely positive reviews. The Salt Lake Tribune gave the Other Side of Time an "A" grade in a review,[21] and Film Score Monthly called her "a brasher, more exciting version of Enya and Sissel" and concluded "Mary Fahl, thankfully, is not your typical pop singer. Somewhat unwieldy, but always interesting. More filmmakers should pay attention to the vocal talent on display in this CD."[26]
A live
A July 2003 review stated that Fahl is "Most certainly an Artist of the highest caliber," and "this is not rock and roll. No dance moves or funky grooves, either. She is unlike any other popular performer today. Her lyrics are deeper and richer, like a Marc Cohn or a less self-involved Joni Mitchell. Her voice is a real treat, though. It is a force of nature, pulling you along as she rages against the heavens in full throttle; or softly, intimately singing to a private part of your soul that only she knew was there."[28]
From the Dark Side of the Moon (2011)
As of September 2006 Fahl completed the recording of From the Dark Side of the Moon, produced by Mark Doyle and David Werner and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. Doyle also provided nearly all of the instrumentation. The album is a song-by-song "re-imagining" of Pink Floyd's classic album The Dark Side of the Moon.[31] Advance copies were not sent out,[32] and the album remained unreleased for several years after V2 Records went out of business right before her release.[3] Fahl self-released the album on May 10, 2011.[33]
- Reception
Publication Nippertown referred to the album as "mindblowing,"[33] while The Morton Report called it "brilliant" and "a worthy re-interpretation not to be missed."[34]
Love & Gravity (2014)
Fahl teamed up with producer John Lissauer, who also produced Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," for her fifth full-length album, Love & Gravity, a spare and meditative record about finding love later in life while maintaining a sense of optimism amid chaos.[35]
Mary Fahl Live At The Mauch Chunk Opera House (2014)
Mary Fahl recorded this double disc live album on September 7, 2013 in the restored 1882 Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It was released on October 2, 2014.
O For a Muse of Fire
In March 2015, Fahl performed as the vocal soloist in the premiere performances of the symphonic overture O For a Muse of Fire by American composer Darryl Kubian.[36] The work was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and is based on the play Henry V by William Shakespeare. Kubian composed the piece with Fahl's voice in mind, and the vocal part features select lines from Shakespeare's play.
- Reception
The premiere performances was very well received, and met with positive reviews in the press. From Broadway World publication: "The overall composition is dramatic with flurries of vibrant musicality especially among the violins and brass. ... Mary Fahl has a dramatic, beautiful voice. This is a cinematic composition that builds steadily and majestically. One wishes Kubian had fleshed it out more. He will be a composer to keep one's eye on whether he pursues dramatic or cinema scores or continues in a classical venue."[37] From The New Jersey Star Ledger: "As the composer noted in an articulate pre-performance introduction, the music dealt with the conscience of the king, exploring matters earthly and spiritual and taking on sounds of both warfare and contemplation. ... a cinematic fabric with deep lower strings and soaring brass. Dissonant threads in sustained chords and warlike percussion contrasted warm, meditative passages. In an earthy alto, vocalist Mary Fahl sang passages of Shakespeare text and keened wordlessly in the work's more impassioned moments. A waterphone added an otherworldly tinge before a frenetic rise and the pound of battle drums led to a fittingly heroic conclusion."[38]
Musical style, influences
Fahl has stated that she grew up listening heavily to her brothers' Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd records, as well as her sisters' Joni Mitchell and Dusty Springfield albums.[39] She's specifically cited Joni Mitchell as being highly influential in her music.[11] She's also referenced Nico[8][33] and various film scores.[22] Reviewers regularly have compared her to Enya, saying "both have a vocal grace and rich melodic sense that verges on Classical Music." Fahl has stated she and Enya are not really alike, as Enya is a mezzo-soprano, while Fahl's voice is "earthier, a dusky contralto. Her sound is more wordless vocals, my material is much more rooted in the storytelling, singer/songwriter tradition."[11][40]
Theater
After the release of The Other Side of Time, Fahl acted in a production of Murder Mystery Blues, a comedy which is based on short stories by
Personal life
Fahl currently lives in Easton, Pennsylvania and is married to deep-sea oceanographer and marine biologist Richard A. Lutz.[5]
Discography
Collaborations
- October Project, October Project (1993)
- Falling Farther In, October Project (1996)
Solo career
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Raging Child" (with Moss/Riley) | 4:36 |
2. | "Paolo" (with Riley) | 4:34 |
3. | "Meant to Say" (with Healy/Moss) | 3:37 |
4. | "Redemption" (with McLean[16]) | 4:52 |
4:56 | ||
3. | "Want To" | 4:34 |
---|---|---|
4. | "Ben Aindi Habibi" | 4:08 |
5. | "Redemption" | 4:46 |
6. | "Paolo" | 4:33 |
7. | "Una Furtiva Lagrima" | 3:50 |
8. | "Other Side of Time" | 4:13 |
9. | "Raging Child" | 4:25 |
10. | "Annie Roll Down Your Window" | 3:58 |
11. | "Station" | 4:43 |
12. | "Kindness Can Be Cruel" | 4:20 |
13. | "Dream of You" | 3:44 |
14. | "Dawning of the Day" | 4:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Speak to Me" | 1:13 |
2. | "Breathe" | 3:01 |
3. | "On the Run" | 3:23 |
4. | "Time" | 6:52 |
5. | "The Great Gig in the Sky" | 4:58 |
6. | "Money" | 6:12 |
7. | "Us and Them" | 7:13 |
8. | "Any Colour You Like" | 3:35 |
9. | "Brain Damage" | 3:54 |
10. | "Eclipse" | 2:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Exiles (The Wolves of Midwinter)" | 4:26 |
2. | "How Much Love" | 4:11 |
3. | "Gravity (Move Mountains, Turn Rivers Around)" | 5:05 |
4. | "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | 3:12 |
5. | "Both Sides Now" | 4:38 |
6. | "Siren" | 3:37 |
7. | "Like Johnny Loved June" | 4:14 |
8. | "Cottonwood" | 4:06 |
9. | "Dawning of the Day" | 3.55 |
10. | "Meant To Be" | 2:16 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Deep As You Go" | 4:47 |
2. | "Like Johnny Loved June" | 4:26 |
3. | "Gravity (Move Mountains, Turn Rivers Around)" | 4:34 |
4. | "Return To Me" | 4:14 |
5. | "Ben Aindi Habibi" | 4:11 |
6. | "Siren" | 3:54 |
7. | "Falling Further In" | 5:32 |
8. | "Wild Is The Wind" | 3:23 |
9. | "Us And Them" | 6:58 |
10. | "Brain Damage/Eclipse" | 5:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Going Home" | 4:38 |
2. | "Bury My Lovely" | 3:54 |
3. | "The Station" | 4:18 |
4. | "Both Sides Now" | 4:53 |
5. | "Take Me As I Am" | 5:00 |
6. | "Dream Of You" | 3:42 |
7. | "Exiles (The Wolves Of Midwinter)" | 4:38 |
8. | "Nessun Dorma" | 2:29 |
9. | "Dawning Of The Day" | 4:07 |
10. | "Meant To Be" | 2:29 |
11. | "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | 3:55 |
12. | "La Vie En Rose" | 1:55 |
13. | "Be My Hero" | 5:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Wexford Carol" | 4:30 |
2. | "Urge For Going" | 5:20 |
3. | "In The Bleak Midwinter" | 3:26 |
4. | "What Child Is This" | 3:40 |
5. | "Christmas Time Is Here" | 5:00 |
6. | "Ave Maria" | 4:00 |
7. | "Walking In The Air" | 3:42 |
8. | "No End" | 3:47 |
9. | "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" | 3:26 |
10. | "Winter Lady" | 2:34 |
11. | "O Holy Night/Silent Night" | 3:08 |
Compilations
- Gods & Generals Soundtrack(2003) – "Going Home"
- The Guys: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2003), Sony Classical – "The Dawning of the Day", "My Beautiful, Gleaming...", "What They Were Waiting For", "Patrick"
- Classics for a New Century (2003), Sony Classical – "Una furtiva lagrima"
Videography
- "Going Home" (2003) – from The Other Side of Time
References
- ^ a b c d e Shustack, Mary (May 31, 2001). "Mary Fahl returns to her roots". The Journal News.
- ^ a b c d Bankard, Bob (August 13, 2003). "Rise and Fahl". Bucks County Courier News.
- ^ a b Mark Doyle, official website
- ^ a b "Voice of America". 2003.
- ^ Hudson Current.
- ^ Hudson Reporter. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ a b c d Simmonsen, Derek (May 19, 2001). "Fahl's solo voice powers her return". The Washington Times.
- ^ a b c d e f "On the CD Watch: Mary Fahl Emerges". The Electric Review. November 2003. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ a b "Talk Today: Singer Mary Fahl". USA Today. January 21, 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (November 11, 1995). "Meeting October Projections : Pop music: Mary Fahl and partners, at the Coach House tonight, follow through on their goals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- ^ a b c d e Takiff, Jonathan (May 30, 2003). "Mary Fahl finds her voice". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 59. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ Pensiero, Nicole (April 19, 2001). "Music Picks: Mary Fahl". City Paper. Archived from the original on 11 January 2002. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ Oldsmith, Kase (August 14, 2003). "The other side of Fahl". Weekend Magazine (New York).
- ^ a b "Nothing for granted". Lexington Herald-Leader. June 13, 2003.
- ^ a b c Spielman, Cheryl (June 12, 2001). "Live Reviews: Mary Fahl". Billboard.
- ^ All Music Guide. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ a b "Allmusic". Allmusic ((( Lenses of Contact > Overview ))). Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ narrowsadmin (2010-02-09). "Mary Fahl - Narrows Center for the Arts". www.narrowscenter.org. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "Best Contralto: Mary Fahl". New York Press. October 3, 2001.
- ^ Vincent, Ed (May 2003). "The Other Side of Time by Mary Fahl". Oak Park Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ a b Renzhofer, Martin (2003). "Mary Fahl: "The Other Side of Times"". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ a b c Bessman, Jim (June 14, 2003). "Films Herald Fahl Solo Set". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ "Linda Eder's Official Fan Newsletter". The Voice Vol. 7 Ed 1. Fall 2006. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ^ Rowe, Matt (June 11, 2003). "Mary Fahl: Other Side of Time". MusicTap. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ a b "NPR". Mary Fahl. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ Wong, Cary (May 14, 2003). "Film Score Divas -- Past, Present and Future". Film Score Daily. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- Boston Globe. August 16, 2003.
- ^ Park, Bill (July 2003). "Mary Fahl". ProRec.
- ^ "Allmusic". Allmusic (The Other Side of Time Overview). Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ "Singer Mary Fahl on performing new album, and Hoboken". Hudson Current Vol. 13, No. 16. November 21, 2003.
- ^ "Mark Doyle". Mary Fahl's Dark Side of the Moon: A Backgrounder. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ "V2 Restructured" Billboard.com
- ^ a b c "Interview: Mary Fahl". Nippertown. September 22, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ Rowe, Matt (July 24, 2011). "Mary Fahl Finally Delivers Brilliant From the Dark Side of the Moon Album". The Morton Report. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- user-generated source]
- ^ Prisco, Jaime (16 Feb 2015). "New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Shows World Premiere of Darryl Kubian's 'O for a Muse of Fire'". Classicalite. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Cohen, Adam (23 March 2015). "KUBIAN, RACHMANINOFF & TCHAIKOVSKY NJSO at BergenPAC". Broadway World. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Reich, Ronnie (24 March 2015). "The NJSO plays Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Kubian". The Star Ledger. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Perlmutter, Adam (July 2003). "Meet and Greet: Mary Fahl". Women Who Rock.
- ^ "A Baker's Dozen Divas". Windy City Times. August 5, 2003.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio (December 7, 2006). "Playbill News: Murder Mystery Blues – Woody Allen Shorts on Stage". Playbill News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ "59E59". I'm a Camera presents Murder Mystery Blues. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- The Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ "Mary Fahl Discography". MaryFahl.com. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
Further reading
- Nippertown: Mary Fahl Interview (September 22, 2010)
- Chicago Music Guide|Chicago Music Guide: Interview with Mary Fahl (May 2011)