Snapshots of Love and Life (2023)
a song-cycle in 7 movements
text by Anna Goldsworthy
30 minutes
for Soprano (or Mezzo-Soprano) with Piano Trio
Commissioned by the Seraphim Trio.
First performance by Lorina Gore (Soprano) with the Seraphim Trio (Helen Ayres-violin, Tim Nankervis-cello, Anna Goldsworthy-piano) at the Mildura Writers Festival on July 14th, and the Elder Hall Evening Concert Series on July 16th 2023.
I. One Morning -- II. One Potato, Two -- III. Surprise! -- IV. Catalogue of Blessings -- V. I Love Men -- VI. That Hill -- VII. Snapshots
a song-cycle in 7 movements
text by Anna Goldsworthy
30 minutes
for Soprano (or Mezzo-Soprano) with Piano Trio
Commissioned by the Seraphim Trio.
First performance by Lorina Gore (Soprano) with the Seraphim Trio (Helen Ayres-violin, Tim Nankervis-cello, Anna Goldsworthy-piano) at the Mildura Writers Festival on July 14th, and the Elder Hall Evening Concert Series on July 16th 2023.
I. One Morning -- II. One Potato, Two -- III. Surprise! -- IV. Catalogue of Blessings -- V. I Love Men -- VI. That Hill -- VII. Snapshots
I was approached by Anna Goldsworthy in mid 2022 about the prospect of composing a companion work to Robert Schumann’s much lauded Frauen-Liebe und Leben. The work would be for Soprano Lorina Gore and the Seraphim Trio. Having performed the Schumann work a few times with Lorina, Anna spoke of how beautiful and intricate the music was, but also how the words by Chamisso felt dated and not reflective of today’s experience of love and motherhood. The proposal was that Anna would write a set of poems telling the story of a woman’s life and love through a contemporary lens, with a relatable 21st century heroine. We would still hear of motherhood and the beginning and end of a romantic relationship, but the culmination of the relationship would come through separation rather than death, and rather than finishing in despair, the cycle would conclude with a kind of bittersweet redemption and ultimately hope.
When writing this work, I made a deliberate decision early on to keep the Schumann close at hand. To each of Anna’s seven poems I assigned one of the Schumann songs, based upon similarity of theme or concept. Each of my songs contains musical references to its corresponding song from Frauen-Liebe: sometimes it is as simple as an exposed D minor chord in the piano; other times it is a melodic quote woven into the accompaniment, or a particular interval highlighted by the soprano. There are also textures and rhythms in the piano accompaniment and particular harmonic progressions that are taken directly from the Schumann as a way of linking the two works.
For me, a good deal of the beauty in Schumann’s music comes from the separation between the voice and the piano where the voice is singing one thing yet the piano hints at something other. Quite often, there are more layers at play than what one may initially realise, and I hope this to be true in my work as much as the Schumann. It was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience to find ways to mirror the various dichotomies throughout Snapshots; whether it is recognised or not is irrelevant, as it was a process that helped me arrive at the sound world for each of the songs and a methodology that I hope ensures that the two works can live happily alongside one another. If some of my ‘easter eggs’ are noticed by performer or listener, then I sincerely hope this assists in contributing to a richer appreciation of the complex and interwoven narratives contained within both Snapshots and Frauen-liebe.
© Anne Cawrse, 2023
When writing this work, I made a deliberate decision early on to keep the Schumann close at hand. To each of Anna’s seven poems I assigned one of the Schumann songs, based upon similarity of theme or concept. Each of my songs contains musical references to its corresponding song from Frauen-Liebe: sometimes it is as simple as an exposed D minor chord in the piano; other times it is a melodic quote woven into the accompaniment, or a particular interval highlighted by the soprano. There are also textures and rhythms in the piano accompaniment and particular harmonic progressions that are taken directly from the Schumann as a way of linking the two works.
For me, a good deal of the beauty in Schumann’s music comes from the separation between the voice and the piano where the voice is singing one thing yet the piano hints at something other. Quite often, there are more layers at play than what one may initially realise, and I hope this to be true in my work as much as the Schumann. It was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience to find ways to mirror the various dichotomies throughout Snapshots; whether it is recognised or not is irrelevant, as it was a process that helped me arrive at the sound world for each of the songs and a methodology that I hope ensures that the two works can live happily alongside one another. If some of my ‘easter eggs’ are noticed by performer or listener, then I sincerely hope this assists in contributing to a richer appreciation of the complex and interwoven narratives contained within both Snapshots and Frauen-liebe.
© Anne Cawrse, 2023
This work is also available in an arrangement for Soprano (or Mezzo-Soprano) and Piano. Please contact me directly if you are interested..