ANIMAL SONGS
|
ANIMAL SONGS is a whimsical and poignant meditation on members of the animal kingdom, and our human interactions with them. This program celebrates the early 20th century treasure Le bestiaire, a song cycle by Francis Poulenc, with a variety of songs written for me by friends living around the US.
Music: Francis Poulenc Fredrick Gifford Kate Pukinskis Stacey Barelos Anthony Donofrio Jason Belcher Daniel Nass Emily Joy Sullivan Jacob Mashak Andrea Reinkemeyer ANIMAL SONGS is sponsored in part by the Culture and Animals Foundation, Performances: 10/27/24 - CLARA Chicago, benefitting Red Door Animal Shelter 2/16/25 - CAPPELLA La Crosse, benefitting Coulee Region Humane Society Please reach out if you are interested in hosting ANIMAL SONGS! |
|
ALETHEIA
ALETHEIA refers to an expansive understanding of truth/disclosure/revelation, first discussed by the Ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides. In this concert tour, I will be performing two works that plumb this subject - Roger Reynolds' "Sketchbook for The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and Kate Soper's "The Fragments of Parmenides".
Soper's work is the more obvious expression of this theme. Her description of "Fragments":
"The question of what is really real might be the oldest unsolvable problem in human inquiry.“The Fragments of Parmenides” takes this investigation into the realm of cabaret, using parlor song, virtuosic modernism, and pre-recorded plot twists to blur the lines between appearance and truth, audience and performer, and the real and metaphysical worlds."
"Sketchbook" sets text from Czech/French author Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a novel which also centers the nature of reality, discussing and rejecting portions of Parmenides' philosophy. Reynolds' description:
"'Sketchbook' explores three of twelve texts which I drew from Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being'. The themes treated are: I, The idea of eternal return; II, Seeing one's own 'I'; and III, The unbearable lightness of being. Kundera's tone, his mode of address, is inventively varied. ...Reflecting on Kundera's craft, it seemed to me that his ability to operate on several levels almost simultaneously (and to do so with such fluidity) would present a intriguing task for a vocalist."
These two works have never been heard together - and in fact, the Reynolds has only been performed live twice in the past 25 years - by me! The premiere studio recording of Sketchbook appears on For a Reason, released in 2023 on Neuma Records. I am currently scheduling ALETHEIA for tour.
Performances:
FALL 2025 TBD
Soper's work is the more obvious expression of this theme. Her description of "Fragments":
"The question of what is really real might be the oldest unsolvable problem in human inquiry.“The Fragments of Parmenides” takes this investigation into the realm of cabaret, using parlor song, virtuosic modernism, and pre-recorded plot twists to blur the lines between appearance and truth, audience and performer, and the real and metaphysical worlds."
"Sketchbook" sets text from Czech/French author Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a novel which also centers the nature of reality, discussing and rejecting portions of Parmenides' philosophy. Reynolds' description:
"'Sketchbook' explores three of twelve texts which I drew from Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being'. The themes treated are: I, The idea of eternal return; II, Seeing one's own 'I'; and III, The unbearable lightness of being. Kundera's tone, his mode of address, is inventively varied. ...Reflecting on Kundera's craft, it seemed to me that his ability to operate on several levels almost simultaneously (and to do so with such fluidity) would present a intriguing task for a vocalist."
These two works have never been heard together - and in fact, the Reynolds has only been performed live twice in the past 25 years - by me! The premiere studio recording of Sketchbook appears on For a Reason, released in 2023 on Neuma Records. I am currently scheduling ALETHEIA for tour.
Performances:
FALL 2025 TBD