My show…and my wife

My show, aka my reemergence as a composer, with a concert of my music on April 14. At the Strathmore Performing Arts Center, just outside Washington, DC.

You can buy tickets now.

I'm busy producing, rehearsing, promoting. And, soon, raising funds.

Here's a link to the program. The heart of the first part, as you'll see, is my wife:

• It starts with triadic music. An arioso from an opera I'm writing, based on Shakespeare's As You Like It. Soft and wistful, for tenor. Never performed before. My wife is the only person who's heard it (apart from the singers and pianist who'll be in the show).
• Then comes a song for voice and piano, which I wrote for Anne (wearing her wedding dress in the photo). I wrote it when we first got together. She gave me a book of Rilke poems for my birthday. I set one to music. (Backstory: I'd never read Rilke, she'd lived in Germany, knew Rilke well.)
• Then a scene for tenor and soprano, from As You Like It. Kind of a love scene, though (Shakespeare the master!) there's also wit, banter, and utter dizzy confusion. Apart from the singers and pianist, Anne again is the only person who's heard this.
• And then, capping it all, my Quartet for Anne, which I wrote for her as a surprise birthday gift in 2001. Brought a string quartet to our home to play it! Such a romantic memory. Always makes me happy.

And here's how this all locks together

The Quartet quotes from the arioso and the love scene. And ends with a quote from the song, with the same lyrical melody, long and deep.

Though — a look here into my composer's workshop — the way it's arranged is more elaborate, because the four instruments in a string quartet give me four separate voices, more than I have when I'm writing for a singer and piano.

I'm happy to end the first part of the evening this way, with a return to something deep and strong, brought home with even more certainty.

What I can't tell you…

Some surprises in the midst of all this. Segues you'll never expect. Can't say any more!

Again, here's the entire program, where you'll find links to scores and recordings.

And here are links to the song and the quartet, as performed this past June:

The song

The Quartet for Anne

Marlissa Hudson, soprano, George Peachey, piano; Entcho Tvordov, violin 1, Hiroko Naguchi, violin 2, Jonathan Dinklage, viola, Peter Sachon, cello.  Marlissa and the quartet will be in my show.

Marlissa and Peter have both guest-blogged for me! Read Marlissa here and here, and Peter here. 

 

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