2010-03-16 Bracey Obrien [recital program]

              School of Music
U N C G
Clara OʼBrien
mezzo-soprano
Robert Bracey
tenor
James Douglass, piano
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
7:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
Magnificat, BMW 243 J. S. Bach
Et misericordia (1685-1750)
Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren, BWV 154
Wohl mir, Jesus ist gefunden
Ms. OʼBrien and Dr. Bracey
King David Herbert Howells
Come Sing and Dance (1892-1983)
Ms. OʼBrien
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Franz Schubert
(1797-1828)
Moravian Duets, Op 20 Antonín Dvořák
Das Seidenband (1841-1904)
Der letzte Wunsch
Ms. OʼBrien and Dr. Bracey
Lydia Gabriel Fauré
Nell (1845-1924)
Tyndaris Reynaldo Hahn
(1874-1947)
Phidylé Henri Duparc
(1848-1933)
Dr. Bracey
Intermission
Abenddämmerung, Op. 49 Johannes Brahms
Verzagen, Op. 57 (1833-1897)
Regenlied, Op. 59
Unbewegte laue Luft, Op. 57
Ms. OʼBrien
Canticle II Benjamin Britten
Abraham and Isaac (1913-1976)
Ms. OʼBrien and Dr. Bracey
Translations
J. S. Bach: Magnificat BMW 243
Et misericordia ejus a progenie and his mercy [continues] from generation
in progenies timetibus eum. to generation for those who fear him.
J. S. Bach: Cantata 154
Wohl mir, Jesus ist gefunden, How happy I am, Jesus is found,
Nun bin ich nicht mehr betrübt. now I am troubled no more.
Der, den meine Seele liebt, He whom my soul loves,
Zeigt sich mir zur frohen Stunden. reveals himself to me in hours of joy.
Ich will dich, mein Jesu, nun nimmermehr lassen, I want never again to abandon you,
Ich will dich im Glauben beständig umfassen my Jesus,
I want to embrace you constantly in faith.
Howells: King David (Walter de la Mare)
King David was a sorrowful man: King David lifted his sad eyes
No cause for his sorrow had he; Into the dark-boughed tree
And he called for the music of a hundred harps, "Tell me, thou little bird that singest,
To ease his melancholy. Who taught my grief to thee?"
They played till they all fell silent: But the bird in no-wise heeded;
Played and play sweet did they; And the king in the cool of the moon
But the sorrow that haunted the heart of King David Hearkened to the nightingale's
They could not charm away. sorrowfulness,
Till all his own was gone.
He rose; and in his garden
Walked by the moon alone,
A nightingale hidden in a cypress tree,
Jargoned on and on.
Come sing and dance (Anonymous)
From far the Angels draw near, Now all mankind doth say and sing
Eia, Eia; Eia! Eia!
Sweet is the Day Spring that heals our fear; This is the day of Christ and King.
Come sing and dance, Come sing and dance,
Come pipe and play. Come pipe and play.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sing Jesus Christ and Mary dear. Sing Jesus Christ and Mary dear.
A child this day to us is born
Eia, eia;
Sing all ye shepherds, proclaim the morn.
Come sing and dance,
Come pipe and play.
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sing Jesus Christ and Mary dear.
Schubert: Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt (Goethe)
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Only one who knows longing
Weiß, was ich leide! Knows what I suffer!
Allein und abgetrennt Alone and cut off
Von aller Freude, From all joy,
Seh ich ans Firmament I look into the firmament
Nach jener Seite. In that direction.
Ach! der mich liebt und kennt, Ach! he who loves and knows me
Ist in der Weite. Is far away.
Es schwindelt mir, es brennt I am reeling,
Mein Eingeweide. My entrails are burning.
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Only one who knows longing
Weiß, was ich leide! Knows what I suffer!
Dvořák: Moravian Duets
Das Seidenband The Silken Band
Sind es hold Nachtigallen, Is it the lovely nightengales
deren Lieder heut erschallen? whose song is calling today?
Mich verlacht mein Herzgeliebter! My heartʼs beloved derides me.
Warum willst du mich verlachen, Why do you deride me
da ich arm geboren? because I was born in poverty?
Gold und Schätze habʼ ich mich Gold and treasures I have not chosen for
zum Gluck nicht auserkoren, happiness,
nur ein Band von Seide, My joy is to wear a band of silk
einen Kranz von frischen Blumen and a wreath of fresh flowers every day
jeden Tag zu tragen,
das ist meine Freude!
Der letzte Wunsch The Last Wish
Suhaj pflügt das Brachfeld dort am Waldes rande, Suhaj plows the field near the edge of the
führet seine Pferde an dem seiden Bande; woods
doch an einem Steine geht der Pflug in Trümmer! driving his horses on silken reins;
Glaubʼ mir, liebes Mädchen: but the plow breaks on a stone!
Liebe währt nicht immer! Believe me, dear maid:
love will not always guard you.
Glaubʼ nicht, liebes Mädchen, Donʼt believe, dear maid,
dass die Freudʼ ohnʼ Leiden: that joy can be separated from pain:
Morgen wird dein Liebster ewig Tomorrow, your beloved
von dir scheiden! will leave you forever!
Wenn ich Pferde hätte, möchtʼ ich mit ihm reiten; If I had horses, I would like to ride with him;
meine Seelʼ zum Tode möchtʼ ich vorbereiten, I want to prepare my soul for death,
das ist mein letzter Wunsch. That is my last wish.
Und wenn ich zu Grunde gehʼ, sind verloren Beide, And when I die and we both are no more,
legt mich dann inʼs Grab mit ihm, lay me in the grave with him,
nahʼ der Trauerweide! near the weeping willow!
Auf dem Grabe sollt ihr Veilchen mir setzen, Place violets on the grave for me,
jedes Mädchen wird mit Thränen sie netzen! every maid will gather them with tears!
Fauré: Lydia (Leconte de Lisle)
Lydia sur tes roses joues,
Et sur ton col frais et si blanc,
Roule étincelant
Lʼor fluide que tu dénoues;
Le jour qui luit est le meilleur,
Oublions lʼéternelle tombe.
Laisse tes baisers de colombe
Chanter sur ta lèvre en fleur.
Un lys caché répand sans cesse
Une odeur divine en ton sein;
Les délices comme un essaim
Sortent de toi, jeune déesse.
Je tʼaime et meurs, ô mes amours.
Mon âme en baisers mʼest ravie!
O Lydia, rends-moi la vie,
Que je puisse mourir, mourir toujours!
Lydia, on your rosy cheeks,
And on your neck, so fresh and white,
Flow sparklingly
The fluid golden hair that you untie.
This shining day is the best:
Let us forget the eternal grave,
Let your kisses of a dove,
Sing on your flowering lips.
A hidden lily spreads unceasingly
A divine scent on your breast;
Delights like a swarm
Emanate from you, young goddess,
I love you and die, oh my love.
My soul is carried off in kisses.
Oh Lydia, return to me my life,
That I may die forever!
Nell (Leconte de Lisle)
Ta rose de pourpre à ton clair soleil,
Ô Juin, étincelle enivrée,
Penche aussi vers moi ta coupe dorée:
Mon coeur à ta rose est pareil.
Sous le mol abri de la feuille ombreuse
Monte un soupir de volupté:
Plus dʼun ramier chante au bois écarté,
Ô mon coeur, sa plainte amoureuse.
Que ta perle est douce au ciel enflammé
Étoile de la nuit pensive!
Mais combien plus douce est la clarté vive
Qui rayonne en mon coeur, en mon coeur
charmé!
La chantante mer, le long du rivage,
Taira son murmure éternel,
Avant quʼen mon coeur, chère amour.
Ô Nell,
Ne fleurisse plus ton image!
Your purple rose, under your bright sun,
Oh June, sparkles as if intoxicated;
Also lean to me your golden cup:
My heart is similar to your rose.
Under the shady, sheltering leaves
Rises a sigh of delight;
More than one ring-dove sings in the
isolated woods,
Oh my heart, its lament of love.
How sweet your pearl is in the flame-red
sky,
Star of the pensive night!
But how much sweeter is the bright glow
Which shines in my charmed heart!
The singing sea, along the shore,
Will silence its eternal murmuring
Before your image, my love, Oh Nell,
Does not bloom anymore!
Hahn: Tyndaris (Leconte de Lisle)
O blanche Tyndaris, Oh, white Tyndaris,
les Dieux me sont amis: the gods are friends to me:
Ils aiment les Muses Latines; They love the Latin Muses
Et lʼaneth et le myrte And dill and myrtle
et le thym des collines and thyme from the hills
Croissent aux prés quʼils mʼont soumis. Thrive in the meadows they gave me.
Viens! mes ramiers chéris, Come! My beloved ring-doves,
aux voluptés plaintives, delighting in grief,
Ici se plaisent à gémir; Here are pleased to moan;
Et sous lʼépais feuillage And beneath dense leaves
il est doux de dormer it is sweet to sleep
Au bruit des sources fugitives. To the sound of running springs.
Duparc: Phidylé (Leconte de Lisle)
Lʼherbe est molle au sommeil sous les frais
peupliers,
Aux pentes des sources moussues,
Qui dans les prés en fleur germant par
mille issues,
Se perdent sous les noirs halliers.
Repose, ô Phidylé! Midi sur les feuillages
Rayonne et tʼinvite au sommeil!
Par le trèfle et le thym, seules, en plein
soleil,
Chantent les abeilles volages;
Un chaud parfum circule au detour des
sentiers,
La rouge fleur des blés sʼincline,
Et les oiseaux, rasant de lʼaile la colline,
Cherchent lʼombre des églantiers.
Mais, quand lʼAstre, incliné sur sa courbe
éclatante,
Verra ses ardeurs sʼapaiser,
Que ton plus beau sourire et ton meilleur
baiser
Me récompensent de lʼattente!
The grass is soft for sleeping under the
cool poplars,
By the slopes by the mossy springs,
Which in the flowery meadow arise in
thousands,
To be lost under dark thickets.
Rest, oh Phidylé! the midday sun on the
leaves
Shines and invites you to sleep!
In the clover and the thyme, alone, in full
sunlight
The hovering bees are humming;
A warm fragrance fills the winding paths,
The red poppy droops
And the birds, skimming the hill on the
wing,
Seek the shade of the wild rosebushes.
But when the sun, sinking lower in its
brilliant orbit,
Will cool its smoldering heat,
Let your loveliest smile and your most
tender kiss
Reward me for my waiting!
Brahms
Abendämmerung (Schack)
Sei willkommen, Zwielichtstunde!
Dich vor allen lieb' ich längst,
Die du, lindernd jede Wunde,
Unsre Seele mild umfängst.
Hin durch deine Dämmerhelle,
In den Lüften, abendfeucht,
Schweben Bilder, die der grelle
Schein des lauten Tags gescheucht.
Träume und Erinnerungen
Nahen aus der Kinderzeit,
Flüstern mit den Geisterzungen
Von vergangner Seligkeit.
Und zu Jugendlust-Genossen
Kehren wir ins Vaterhaus;
Arme, die uns einst umschlossen,
Breiten neu sich nach uns aus.
Nach dem Trennungsschmerz, dem
langen,
Dürfen wir noch einmal nun
Denen, die dahingegangen,
Am geliebten Herzen ruhn;
Und indes zum Augenlide
Sanft der Schlummer niederrint,
Sinkt auf uns ein sel'ger Friede
Aus dem Land, wo jene sind.
Twilight
Be welcome, hour of twilight!
Long have I loved you above all;
You soothe every wound,
Gently embracing our souls.
Throughout your dusky brightness
In the air, damp with evening dew,
Hover images that the glaring
Light of the noisy day dispells.
Dreams and memories
Approach from childhood times,
Whispering with ghostly tongues
Of past happiness.
And to the comrades of our youthful
pleasures
We turn in our father's house;
Arms that once embraced us
Are open wide to us again.
After the long pain of separation,
We may once again
Be with those who have gone hence,
And rest among beloved hearts;
And until upon our eyelids
Slumber gently flows down,
A blessed peace sinks down upon us
From the land where our friends are.
Verzagen (Lemcke) Despondency
Ich sitz' am Strande der rauschenden See
Und suche dort nach Ruh',
Ich schaue dem Treiben der Wogen
Mit dumpfer Ergebung zu.
Die Wogen rauschen zum Strande hin,
Sie schäumen und vergehn,
Die Wolken, die Winde darüber,
Die kommen und verwehn.
Du ungestümes Herz sei still
Und gib dich doch zur Ruh',
Du sollst mit Winden und Wogen
Dich trösten, - was weinest du?
I sit by the shore of the rushing sea
And there I search for peace;
I look at the drifting waves,
With a dull resignation.
The waves are rushing to the shore,
They foam and vanish again;
The clouds, the winds above,
They come and blow away.
Be still, impetuous heart,
And be resigned in peace,
Let the waves and winds console you;
Why do you weep?
Regenlied (Groth) Rain Song
Walle, Regen, walle nieder,
Wecke mir die Träume wieder,
Die ich in der Kindheit träumte,
Wenn das Naß im Sande schäumte!
Wenn die matte Sommerschwüle
Lässig stritt mit frischer Kühle,
Und die blanken Blätter tauten,
Und die Saaten dunkler blauten.
Welche Wonne, in dem Fließen
Dann zu stehn mit nackten Füßen,
An dem Grase hin zu streifen
Und den Schaum mit Händen greifen.
Oder mit den heißen Wangen
Kalte Tropfen aufzufangen,
Und den neuerwachten Düften
Seine Kinderbrust zu lüften!
Wie die Kelche, die da troffen,
Stand die Seele atmend offen,
Wie die Blumen, düftertrunken,
In dem Himmelstau versunken.
Schauernd kühlte jeder Tropfen
Tief bis an des Herzens Klopfen,
Und der Schöpfung heilig Weben
Drang bis ins verborgne Leben.
Walle, Regen, walle nieder,
Wecke meine alten Lieder,
Die wir in der Türe sangen,
Wenn die Tropfen draußen klangen!
Möchte ihnen wieder lauschen,
Ihrem süßen, feuchten Rauschen,
Meine Seele sanft betauen
Mit dem frommen Kindergrauen.
Pour, rain, pour down,
Awaken again in me those dreams
That I dreamt in childhood,
When the wetness foamed in the sand!
When the dull summer sultriness
Struggled casually against the fresh
coolness,
And the pale leaves dripped with dew,
And the crops were dyed a deeper blue.
What bliss to stand in the downpour
With naked feet,
To reach into the grass
And touch the foam with one's hands!
Or upon hot cheeks,
To catch the cold drops;
And with the newly awakened fragrances
To air one's childish breast!
Like the flowers' chalices, which trickle
there,
The soul breathes openly,
Like the flowers, drunk with fragrance,
Drowning in the dew of the Heavens.
Every trembling drop cooled
Deep down to the heart's very beating,
And creation's holy web
Pierced into my hidden life.
Pour, rain, pour down,
Awaken the old songs,
That we used to sing in the doorway
When the raindrops pattered outside!
I would like to listen to it again,
That sweet, moist rushing,
My soul gently bedewed
With holy, childlike awe.
Unbewegte laue Luft (Daumer) Motionless, warm air
Unbewegte laue Luft,
Tiefe Ruhe der Natur;
Durch die stille Gartennacht
Plätschert die Fontäne nur.
Aber im Gemüte schwillt
Heißere Begierde mir,
Aber in der Ader quillt
Leben und verlangt nach Leben.
Sollten nicht auch deine Brust
Sehnlichere Wünsche heben?
Sollte meiner Seele Ruf
Nicht dir deine tief durchbeben?
Leise mit dem Ätherfuß
Säume nicht, daherzuschweben!
Komm, o komm, damit wir uns
Himmlische Genüge geben!
Motionless, warm air,
Nature, deeply at rest;
Through the still garden-night
Only the fountain splashes.
But in my heart there surges
Hot desires,
And in my veins swells
Life, and a longing for life.
Should not also your breast
Be lifted by longing wishes?
Should not the cry of my soul
Reverberate deeply in yours?
Softly, with ethereal steps,
Do not tarry to float to me!
Come, oh come, so that we might
Give each other heavenly satisfaction!
Canticle II (Abraham and Isaac) Op. 51
God speaks:
Abraham, my servant, Abraham,
Take Isaac, thy son by name,
That thou lovest the best of all,
And in sacrifice offer him to me
Upon that hill there besides thee.
Abraham, I will that so it be,
For aught that may befall.
Abraham:
My Lord, to Thee is mine intent
Ever to be obedient.
That son that Thou to me hast sent
Offer I will to Thee.
Thy bidding done shall be.
(Here Abraham, turning him to his
son Isaac, saith:)
Make thee ready, my dear darling,
For we must do a little thing.
This woode do on thy back it bring,
We may no longer abide.
A sword and fire that I will take,
For sacrifice behoves me to make;
God's bidding will I not forsake,
But ever obedient be.
(Here Isaac speaketh to his father, and
taketh a bundle of sticks and beareth after
his father, and saith:)
Isaac:
Father, I am all ready
To do your bidding most meekely,
And to bear this wood full [bayn]1 am I,
As you commanded me.
(Here they both go to the place to do
sacrifice)
Abraham:
Now, Isaac son, go we our way
To yonder mount if that we may.
Isaac:
My dear father, I will essay
To follow you full fain.
(Abraham being minded to slay his son
Isaac, lifts up his hands, and saith the
following:)
Abraham:
O! My heart will break in three,
To hear thy words I have pitye;
As Thou wilt, Lord, so must it be,
To Thee I will be bayn.
Lay down thy faggot, my own son dear.
Isaac:
All ready, father, lo it is here.
But why make you such heavy cheer?
Are you anything adread?
Abraham:
Ah! Dear God! That me is woe!
Isaac:
Father, if it be your will,
Where is the beast that we shall kill?
Abraham:
Thereof, son, is none upon this hill.
Isaac:
Father, I am full sore affeared
To see you bear that drawne sword.
Abraham:
Isaac, son, peace, I pray thee,
Thou breakest my heart even in three.
Isaac:
I pray you, father, [layn]2 nothing from me,
But tell me what you think.
Abraham:
Ah! Isaac, Isaac, I must thee kill!
Isaac:
Alas! Father, is that your will,
Your owne child for to spill
Upon this hilles brink?
If I have trespassed in any degree
With a yard you may beat me;
Put up your sword, if your will be,
For I am but a child.
Would God my mother were here with me!
She would kneel down upon her knee,
Praying you, father, if it may be,
For to save my life.
Abraham:
O Isaac, son, to thee I say
God hath commanded me today
Sacrifice, this is no nay,
To make of thy bodye.
Isaac:
Is it God's will I shall be slain?
Abraham:
Yea, son, it is not for to layn.
(Here Isaac asketh his father's blessing on
his knees, and saith:)
Isaac:
Father, seeing you mustë needs do so,
Let it pass lightly and over go;
Kneeling on my knees two,
Your blessing on me spread.
Abraham:
My blessing, dear son, give I thee
And thy mother's with heart free.
The blessing of the Trinity,
My dear Son, on thee light.
(Here Isaac riseth and cometh to his father,
and he taketh him,and bindeth and layeth
him upon the altar to sacrifice him, and
saith:)
Come hither, my child, thou art so sweet,
Thou must be bound both hands and feet.
Isaac:
Father, do with me as you will,
I must obey, and that is skill,
Godës commandment to fulfil,
For needs so it must be.
Abraham:
Isaac, Isaac, blessed must thou be.
Isaac:
Father, greet well my brethren ying,
And pray my mother of her blessing,
I come no more under her wing,
Farewell for ever and aye.
Abraham:
Farewell, my sweetë son of grace!
(Here Abraham doth kiss his son Isaac,
and binds a kerchief about his head.)
Isaac:
I pray you, father, turn down my face,
For I am sore adread.
Abraham:
Lord, full loth were I him to kill!
Isaac:
Ah, mercy, father, why tarry you so?
Abraham:
Jesu! On me have pity,
That I have most in mind.
Isaac:
Now, father, I see that I shall die:
Almighty God in majesty!
My soul I offer unto Thee!
Abraham:
To do this deed I am sorrye.
(Here let Abraham make a sign as tho' he
would cut off his son Isaac's head with his
sword; then...)
God speaks:
Abraham, my servant dear,
Lay not thy sword in no manner
On Isaac, thy dear darling.
For thou dreadest me, well wot I,
That of thy son has no mercy,
To fulfil my bidding.
Abraham:
Ah, Lord of heaven and King of bliss,
Thy bidding shall be done, i-wiss!
A hornëd wether here I see,
Among the briars tied is he,
To Thee offered shall he be
Anon right in this place.
(Then let Abraham take the lamb and kill
him.)
Sacrifice here sent me is,
And all, Lord, through Thy grace.
envoi:
Such obedience grant us, O Lord!
Ever to Thy most holy word.
That in the same we may accord
At this Abraham was bayn;
And then altogether shall we
That worthy King in heaven see,
And dwell with Him in great glorye
For ever and ever. Amen.
Program Notes
Herbert Howells
There is a quality about British music which sets it apart from the European continent throughout
most of history. Certainly there are technical aspects such as strong triadic melodic patterns,
homophonic textures and a sparing use of dense chromaticism that distinguish the music of
indigenous British composers from their continental colleagues. Yet there is something more, a
distinct esthetic character which defines many composers of the island. British music tends to
have a simultaneous reticence, simplicity and nobility. At its worst, it has led to periods of musical
torpor and stasis. At its best, such as in the music of the pastoral composers of the mid-20th
century, the simplicity of folksong, the vitality of clear dance-like rhythms and conscience
emotional and musical restraint seem to encapsulate a time and place in the islandʼs history. But
above all, there is a sense that in the midst of one of the most turbulent and revolutionary periods
of history, British music is part of the established order. There seems no conscience need to
confront the expectations of the public. Perhaps that much of the British music world during this
period is within the university and Anglican Church and the longstanding democratic traditions of
both creator and public can account for the serene, confident, almost timeless quality in British
music.
Although not as well known as his friend Ralph Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells was a typical
composer of “pastoral school”. A number of seemingly incongruous elements find a comfortable
symbiosis in his music. His work as organist infuses his compositions with the contemplative
austerity of the Anglican Church and his study of Tudor music adds rhythmic vigor. A love of
folksong melds with the harmonic freedom of French Impressionism creating an uncluttered yet
rich, almost modal tonal language. The emerging neo-Classical esthetic of continental
composers, stripped of irony, provides clear formal schemes. All these divergent elements reflect
the British composerʼs ease within the prevailing culture. The text choices for the two songs
presented here demonstrate this melding of apparent opposites: the anonymous Medieval poem
Come Sing and Dance and King David by Howellsʼ contemporary Walter de la Mare.
Simultaneously there is a connection with the past and the voice of the present, a combination
rarely seen in continental composers of the period.
Franz Schubert
Goetheʼs Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre held a vice-like grip on the imaginations of German and
French composers of the 19th century, among them Franz Schubert. The image of Mignon, the
innocent beauty, unaware of her power and the hazard which surrounds the search for her origins
was the embodiment of the Romantic ideal; the desire for the authenticity of the “natural” and the
essential goodness of the forces beneath the cold veneer of civilized life. A myriad of settings of
the Lieder der Mignon, poems from the Bildungsroman, exist from composers of the period.
Schubert set Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt six times, lastly as a duet often claimed to be his
finest. In this version, the protagonist Wilhelm recollects Mignonʼs duet with the harpist.
Antonin Dvořák
It may come as a surprise that Antonin Dvořák, known primarily for his rich instrumental
compositions, was hailed during his later years for his operas. Besides Russalka, Dvořák wrote
nine operas, mostly dating from the last fifteen years of his life. In contrast, his over 100 songs
span the entirety of his compositional career and give evidence to a gift for dramatic text setting.
The Moravian Duets, which are quite early in his career, demonstrate his ability to reflect the
melodic simplicity and strong rhythmic gestures of folksong and yet also achieve a wide
expressive range.
Gabriel Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn and Henri Duparc,
The poetry of Charles-Marie-Rene Leconte de Lisle (1818 - 1894) appealed to many French
composers seeking a path between the extremes of Romanticism and reactionary composition.
Leconte de Lisle was a leading member of the “Parnassian movement”; poets who sought a more
learned and disciplined approach than that of the excessive and overly-emotional Romantic poets
of the mid-19th century. Classical references and allusions abound in the imposingly erudite
poems. The various regions of ancient Greece as Lydia and Tyndaris form a template for
rhapsodic mediations on abstract beauty. Sexual awakening finds personification in characters
drawn from Roman poetry: Horaceʼs Ode to Rustic Phidyle. Yet the poetry is not devoid of lush
personal references; the harking back to young love in Nell reflects Leconte de Lisleʼs deep-seated
nostalgia for a perfect, innocent desire.
This poetry appealed to French composers such as Fauré, Hahn and Duparc, who were adroit
technicians fully imbued with the forward-looking techniques of Romanticism yet leery of
undisciplined excesses and subjectivity. Gabriel Fauré was a leading figure in the musical world
of France and as professor at the Paris Conservatoire, the mentor to a generation of innovative
composers and teachers. He sought to incorporate the harmonic chromaticism of Franck and
Wagner within classical formal schemes tempered with a typical French sensibilité; a
compositional style that seems conservative only when viewed from the more radical departures
of his Impressionist students. Reynaldo Hahn may have been born in Venezuela, but his sensual
melodies and limpid harmonies are as much a part of the Paris salon and Conservatoire as any
native-born composer. Henri Duparc also sought to harness an emotional intensity within the
bounds of a less subjective classical formal structure. Sadly, he ceased to compose in his 30ʼs
leaving us only a few, beautiful mélodies.
Johann Sebastian Bach and Johannes Brahms
Both Bach and Brahms suffered criticism for their vocal compositions which, with the passing of
time, seems baffling. But in both cases, the critique obliquely points out the composersʼ strengths
which have made their works for voice a dominant part of our musical heritage.
Contemporary critics of the larger vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach accuse him of
subordinating the vocal text setting to the musical line and writing for the singing voice as if it
were an orchestral instrument. One can only hope these critics were unaware of the cantatas, for
throughout these works there is ample evidence of a craftsman fully able to compose for the
operatic stage. The Pietist poetry of 17th century Protestant Germany transposes the emotional
world of secular life onto contemplative spiritual meditation and Bach rises to the occasion with
arias, scenes, duets and other vocal forms equal to any opera composer of the period. One has
only to exchange the pious longing for spiritual fulfillment with secular physical desires to
understand that, had he the opportunity, Bach would have produced operas equally as
remarkable as his sacred vocal output.
Johannes Brahms also comes under criticism for his text setting, especially from his rabid
contemporary Hugo Wolf. Wolf felt that Brahms imposed musical forms on the poems rather than
allow the poetry to shape the music. Here also, given the natural flow of the vocal lines, the
criticism seems unjustified. Brahmsʼ melodies are not intended to set the text word for word,
gesture for gesture. Instead they capture the emotional essence of the entire poem and are a
poetry in their own right. One does have to question, however, if a Brahms opera would have had
the immediate emotional impact required by late-Romantic audiences.
Regardless of the criticisms of both composers, the argument that their text settings are
subordinate to musical processes actually points out two shared strengths: a primacy of melodic
line and a powerful structural forward momentum. Both masters created singable melodies which
are compelling independent of the text and harmonic processes and which from the first gesture
have an automatic forward impetus. These two elements combine in almost perfect logic and
fully match the formal structures of their compositions.
Benjamin Britten
There is a story, most likely apocryphal but nevertheless illuminating, which helps to understand
the music of Benjamin Britten. Upon hearing Stravinskyʼs sarcastic critique of the War Requiem
as a “two handkerchief work”, Britten is said to have tartly replied “That is fine for Mr. Stravinsky
to say: he is not a professional composer. I am.” Stravinskyʼs critique, expressed later less
informally, was that Brittenʼs music was manipulative and sought to impose feelings and reactions
upon the listener. Britten returns that Stravinsky is indeed correct; his music is designed to
directly communicate with the emotional and musical palette of a broad public. He strongly felt
that music had to be immediate and accessible for it to be relevant. This is not to say that he was
a musical reactionary. Although he remained within the framework of functional tonality, a
cursory glance at the orchestration of Billy Budd or the bold dissonances of Abraham and Isaac
yields many technical innovations. Nor were his musical tastes parochial; at one point he sought
to study with Berg and modeled himself on the aforementioned Stravinsky. But his primary
objective is a connection with the audience which gives his music an accessibility and utility quite
unlike many of his contemporaries.
Brittenʼs setting of the Abraham and Isaac story is the second of his five Canticles, each a mini-opera
or cantata written between larger stage works in the early 1950ʼs. The text is drawn from
the Chester Miracle Plays, dramatized 15th century Biblical exegeses performed by the craft
guilds of Chester in the city square on liturgical feast days. The story is of Abrahamʼs obedience
to Godʼs demand that he sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Godʼs intervention and the acceptance of
a lamb as the sacrificial substitute denote the rejection of human sacrifice in the Jewish traditions.
The miracle play text draws out the lesson of obedience to Godʼs will, even in the face of
agonizing personal loss. Brittenʼs dramatic yet restrained setting is very reminiscent of his
operatic vocal writing, as in Billy Budd, which he had just finished composing. A particularly
remarkable effect is the use of both tenor and alto for the voice of God. If, as René Girard
asserts, the demand for human sacrifice is assigned by man to God to hide our communal
bloodlust, the choice to set Godʼs commands in the voice of collective mankind has a profundity
that the composer, who had little theology, did not realize.
Lance Hulme
Biographies
Clara OʼBrien
Clara OʼBrienʼs international career began when she was awarded the Sonderpreis des
Badischen Staatstheaters; a prize created specially for her at the 1st International Coloratura
Competition, Sylvia Geszty in Stuttgart, Germany. She has appeared on such international stages
as Chicago, Dallas, Berlin, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt. For many
years, she was engaged as soloist at the State Theater of Baden and based her career from
Germany. Among her repertoire are acclaimed performances of Octavian, Komponist, Adalgisa,
Mignon, Dorabella, Donna Elvira, Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Rosina, Cenerentola, Musetta,
Hélène (La Belle Hélène), Fenena (Nabucco) and numerous roles with the International Händel
Festspiel. Her operatic performances received Opernwelt's Best Performance citations in both
the Emerging and Established Artist categories. Other awards include 1st Prize, Erika Köth
Meisterkurs and Finalist in the International Belvedere Competition.
Clara OʼBrien won Grand Prix Paul Derenne, International Concours de chant de Paris for her
interpretation of Impressionist and post-Impressionist French mélodie. She is also a noted
interpreter of late-Romantic and Modernist German Lieder. Her recital repertoire ranges from
medieval chanson to premieres from living composers. Recordings include releases on the Bella
Musica and Albany Records labels and she has been broadcast on Southwest German Radio
and Television and NPR radio in the U.S.
Professor O'Brien holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (M.M., Performance
Certificate) and the Dana School of Music (B.M., Summa cum laude) and completed her stage
training at the Curtis Institute of Music. She apprenticeship programs included Lyric Opera Center
for American Artists and the Aspen Music Festival. She was a Fulbright Scholar and was
awarded a fellowship to the Münchener Singschulʼ. Ms OʼBrien has taught at the American
Institute for Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and gives masterclasses throughout the United
States.
Robert Bracey
Robert Bracey has performed throughout the United States and made appearances in Canada,
Russia, Europe, India, and Japan. He was awarded first place in the Oratorio Society of New
Yorkʼs Annual International Solo Competition at Carnegie Hall. He returned to Carnegie Hall for
performances of Handel: Messiah later that year. He made his Detroit Symphony debut at
Orchestra Hall and his Kennedy Center debut in Washington, DC with the Choral Arts Society of
Washington.
Recent engagements include performances with the Symphony Orchestra of India and the
Paranjoti Academy Chorus at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India, the
Telemann Chamber Orchestra in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, Oratorio Society of New York,
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Pacific Symphony,
Orlando Philharmonic, Choral Arts Society of Washington, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra,
Dayton Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Southwest
Florida Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Duluth-Superior Symphony, Fort Wayne
Philharmonic, Illinois Symphony, Flint Symphony, Midland Symphony, East Texas Symphony,
Duke University Chapel Choir, Boise Philharmonic, Independence Messiah Festival, Choral Arts
Society of Greensboro, Ann Arbor Symphony, Greater Lansing Symphony, Bach Festival Society
of Winter Park, Messiah Choral Society of Orlando, Choral Society of Durham, Kalamazoo Bach
Festival, and the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
He has worked with such well-known conductors as Helmuth Rilling, Simon Preston, Sir Philip
Ledger, Norman Scribner, Carl St. Clair, Jos van Veldhoven, David Lockington, Hal France,
Lyndon Woodside, Gustav Meier, Grant Llewellyn, Robert Hanson, Enrique Diemecke, Jerry
Blackstone, and Andrew Sewell.
A Regional Finalist in the New York Metropolitan Opera Auditions, he also won first place in the
National Association of Teachers of Singing Regional Competition where he was awarded the
Jessye Norman Award for the most outstanding soloist at the competition. Centaur Records
released Braceyʼs first solo compact disc in 2006. The recording of English art songs entitled
Sweet was the Song also features pianist Andrew Harley and violist Scott Rawls. It is available in
markets worldwide.
He holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University, a
Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Voice Performance from the University of
Michigan. He has previously served on the faculties at Bowling Green State University and
Michigan State University.
James Douglass
James Douglass, assistant professor of collaborative piano and auditions coordinator for
applications to the Accompanying and Chamber Music degree program, has been involved in
diverse genres including chamber music, vocal arts, opera, choral arts, symphonic repertoire,
jazz, cabaret, and musical theater. He received the BM and MM in piano performance from the
University of Alabama and the DMA in collaborative piano from the University of Southern
California where he was a student of Dr. Alan L. Smith; additional studies with collaborative Anne
Epperson and Martin Katz. While at USC he received a Koldofsky Fellowship and the
Outstanding Keyboard Collaborative Arts award. Douglass has served on the faculties of
Mississippi College, Occidental College LA, USC, and Middle Tennessee State University where
he was coordinator of the collaborative piano degree program. In 2003 he began teaching in the
summer study program AIMS (American Institue of Musical Studies) in Graz, Austria as the
instructor of collaborative piano and a coach in the lieder program with Harold Heiberg.
Performances as a collaborative pianist have included recitals and television/radio broadcasts
across the United States and in Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Hungary); in master classes
given by artists Dawn Upshaw, Carol Vaness, Vladimir Chernov, Norman Luboff, Paul
Salamunovich, Natalie Hinderas, Leon Bates. Douglass is also active as a clinician and recently
completed a recording with soprano Hope Koehler of John Jacob Niles songs which was released
on the Albany label in 2008.