Dance on a Moonbeam: A Collection of Songs and Poems. Bill Crofut, Julianne Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade, Chris Brubeck, Meryl Streep; London Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80554.

Dance on a Moonbeam: A Collection of Songs and Poems. Bill Crofut, Julianne Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade, Chris Brubeck, Meryl Streep; London Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80554.

The folks at Telarc don't often venture too far outside their classical roots, but when they do the result is often a rewarding experience. Dance on a Moonbeam is a collection of songs and poems that was the brainchild of the late folk singer Bill Crofut. The album was completed just before the singer's death and makes a fitting tribute to the enduring quality of his musicianship. The music is primarily aimed at children, but it of a kind that can be appreciated by young and old alike.

The album was assembled from a number of sources, some more recent than others. The earliest pieces derive from 1973, the latest done just before Crofut died in 1998. The folk singer appears on many of the tracks and allows friends Julianne Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, and Frederica von Stade their turns as well. Providing a continuity from one tune to the next is Meryl Steep's reading excerpts from Shakespeare. Some of the songs are fun and funny, others heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Among my favorites: Crofut's own "While You Were Sleeping," accompanied by banjo, piano, and guitar; "Alligator Hedgehog," Crofut again; "The Chipmunk's Day," vocal by Dawn Upshaw, accompanied by Crofut on banjo and Chris Brubeck on bass; "The Fox," a wonderful two-part harmony with Crofut and Luxon; the Shaker song "Simple Gifts," done by Frederica von Stade, accompanied by piano; "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" from Humperdinck's Hansel and Grettel, done by the Chorus Angelicus and the LSO; and "All Through the Night," sung by Julianne Baird. There are 26 tracks altogether on the disc, so the listener not only gets variety, he gets his money's worth, too.

As one would expect, the sound quality varies among the different numbers, recorded as they were years apart, some in Crofut's home. At best the songs are open and clear; at worst they can be slightly muffled and over-reverberant. Never is any of it less than pleasing. I recommend the disc for both children and adults.