
As I recently wrote in my preview piece, the One Art Ensemble is a trio consisting of pianist Hillary Nordwell, violist Alexa Beattie, and soprano Ann Moss. The name comes from the title of a poem by Elizabeth Bishop (“One Art”), which they encountered when it was written for their trio by composer Vartan Aghababian as the first of a set of two, the second being a setting of Bishop’s sonnet “In Need of Music.” Today they returned to Old St. Mary’s Cathedral to give a Noontime Concerts™ recital, having last performed there in September of 2009; and they chose to begin with Aghababian’s two Bishop settings. One can easily appreciate why they have taken such an interest in this composer. His sensitivity to Bishop’s poems could not be more astute, and his settings of the individual words perfectly accommodate not only Moss’ vocal range but also her excellent sense of diction…