Spring Songs (2017)
9 minutes
for soprano and piano
1. Paris in Spring
2. The Look
3. Spring Torrents
4. Nightfall
Commissioned by The Firm New Music, Adelaide
First performance by Kate Macfarlane (soprano) and Michael Ierace (piano) on November 6th 2017 at Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Texts by Sara Teasdale.
9 minutes
for soprano and piano
1. Paris in Spring
2. The Look
3. Spring Torrents
4. Nightfall
Commissioned by The Firm New Music, Adelaide
First performance by Kate Macfarlane (soprano) and Michael Ierace (piano) on November 6th 2017 at Elder Hall, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Texts by Sara Teasdale.
This little collection of four short songs sets lyrical texts by American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933).
‘Paris In Spring’ was originally part of a longer work of mine for Soprano and Baroque ensemble. Tonight’s arrangement is much more portable, and gives opportunity for the dust to be blown off a part of a score that, in my own estimation, has always been pretty good.
‘The Look’ is a poem I had read many times before and wondered about setting- an upcoming Firm concert was as good an opportunity to do so as any. The text is pithy and honest; so to, I hope, the music.
‘Spring Torrents’ borrows its piano accompaniment line from a gorgeous song by Samuel Barber which I stumbled across accidentally, but to my utter delight. I intend to ‘borrow’ elements of the melodic line of the same song in another work one day.
‘Nightfall’ was composed in around 2 hours as an exercise in seeing what happens when I don’t think about things too much. My conclusion to this experiment is that thinking has its place, but sometimes a simple song needs the directness that instinct can provide.
Anne Cawrse © 2017
‘Paris In Spring’ was originally part of a longer work of mine for Soprano and Baroque ensemble. Tonight’s arrangement is much more portable, and gives opportunity for the dust to be blown off a part of a score that, in my own estimation, has always been pretty good.
‘The Look’ is a poem I had read many times before and wondered about setting- an upcoming Firm concert was as good an opportunity to do so as any. The text is pithy and honest; so to, I hope, the music.
‘Spring Torrents’ borrows its piano accompaniment line from a gorgeous song by Samuel Barber which I stumbled across accidentally, but to my utter delight. I intend to ‘borrow’ elements of the melodic line of the same song in another work one day.
‘Nightfall’ was composed in around 2 hours as an exercise in seeing what happens when I don’t think about things too much. My conclusion to this experiment is that thinking has its place, but sometimes a simple song needs the directness that instinct can provide.
Anne Cawrse © 2017