Myths & Hymns

By TERRY TEACHOUT

Richard Rodgers' grandson, the most provocative and promising of post-Sondheim theatrical songwriters, has taken a sharp turn on the road to Broadway: his latest composition is a song cycle about love, sin, doubt and transcendence. The music is composed in an utterly personal style that blends pop, gospel and classical influences; the lyrics weave together Greek mythology and Christian hymnody to complex, unsettling effect. Persuasively performed on CD by singers such as Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin and Guettel, Myths & Hymns is a major event in American popular song.

--By Terry Teachout