Tag: Spacious Vision Song Project

Bianca Hall performs “Hark, the echoing air”

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94_Cupid_F90x70[1][1]Henry Purcell (1659-95) was to English music what Shakespeare was to English theater. Purcell composed “Dido and Aeneas,” the first opera we have in English, and many other works for the musical stage, including “The Fairy Queen.” Many sopranos (and a few tenors) have made its famous aria “Hark, the echoing air” a showpiece of their skills.

Britten created his own performing editions of “The Fairy Queen,” “Dido and Aeneas,” and many other works of Purcell. In Britten’s concert arrangement of this famous aria, the vocal parts and bass lines were preserved intact, while the orchestral accompaniment is re-imagined in a modern idiom.

Click here to view Bianca Hall’s performance of “Hark, the echoing air,” from our recent “Britten in Song” concert in Glendale. Krystof Van Gyrsperre is at the piano. Winged cupids are prominently featured.

Jonathan Mack performs “At the mid hour of night”

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Following up our January 16 post featuring Jonathan Mack, here is a second Britten folk song setting. The author of “At the mid hour of night” was poet and songwriter Thomas Moore’s, whose collection “Irish Melodies” from was published in 1807. Moore’s poem is typical of the lyrical nostalgia found in much Irish poetry of that era. Jonathan’s rendition of Britten’s arrangement perfectly captures this feeling.

Click here to view the video of Jonathan Mack singing “At the mid hour of night.”
Kristof Van Grysperre is at the piano. This is from the 2013 concert by the Spacious Vision Song Project at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, CA.

Jonathan Mack sings “The Salley Gardens”

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From our 2013 “Britten in Song” concert at St. Mark’s in Glendale, CA, here is a video performance by tenor Jonathan Mack of “The Salley Gardens,” one of Britten’s most popular folk song settings. Jonathan’s performance perfectly captures the intimacy of the song, and his vocalism recalls (and surpasses) the classic recording by Peter Pears. Kristof Van Grysperre is at the piano. Read on for a few clues to enhance your enjoyment!

hqdefaultBackground. Down by the Salley Gardens (Irish: Gort na Saileán) is a poem by William Butler Yeats, first published in 1889. It was based on the words of an older folk song, to which Yeats added new words of his own. The tune Britten used for his 1943 setting was “The Moorlough Shore,” which Irish composer Herbert Hughes had also used for his classic 1909 setting of the Yeats poem.

Some clues. The “Salley Gardens” may have been on the banks of the river at Ballysadare near Sligo. “Salley” or “sally” is a form of the Standard English word “sallow”, i.e., a tree of the genus Salix. It is close in sound to the Irish word saileach, meaning willow.

Click here for the video of “The Salley Gardens.”

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree.
In a field by the river my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs;
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

A Lied for Three Kings Day (Jan. 6)

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For many folks, a song in a foreign language can sound unfriendly, but we certainly want to introduce songs from different countries to our listeners! Here’s one attempt to cross the language barrier–a track from our 2013 Holiday concert (in German), with an introduction to the song, along with a photo montage which includes an English translation. Click here for “Die Könige” (The Kings) by Peter Cornelius. Happy 12th day of Christmas!999px-Magi_1-Wikimedia-Commons

June update for our visitors

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busy-pic-575x444Activity on our collaborative Spacious Vision projects has cooled for a bit, primarily because the members of our collective have been occupied with several other projects professional and personal. We ARE working on new events for Fall 2013. In the meantime, here are a few updates on our artists and their recent activities, in alphabetical order:

Actress DIANA BURBANO and her partner Tom Shelton’s new play “Silueta” was just produced and recognized by the jury at the Summer Great Plains Theater Festival in Omaha, NE.

Mezzo PAMELA DELLAL recently appeared in recital in Tucson, AZ, as well as performances of medieval Spanish music with the Newberry Consort at the Boston Early Music Festival.

Pianist BRIAN MOLL has taken it a bit easy during a long recovery period from skeletal injuries sustained this past December. But he is now back at the keyboard at the Longy School and in other venues. We expect to collaborate with Brian again very soon and are thrilled that he is back on his game.

Pianist CHRIS REED has been working at the Taos Opera Institute in Taos, NM before beginning his residency with the annual SongFest program at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. And then it’s off to the Eastman School of Music, where he will begin his D.M.A. studies in Fall 2013!

Baritone JOHN SEESHOLTZ just completed a May run of rehearsals and performances of Gounod’s opera “Faust” with the Fort Collins Opera.

Tenor GERALD SEMINATORE will appear on the “unSung” series of contemporary music concerts in Glendale, CA in July. For much of 2013 he has been occupied with family responsibilities in New England, while also attending to his students at his teaching appointments in Southern California. In August 2013 he will also join the faculty of the Shasta College Summer Vocal Institute in Northern California.

Other affiliated Spacious Vision artists (Soprano Barbara Kilduff, Counter-tenor Caleb Barnes, mezzo Lauren Edwards, and pianist Libor Dudas) are currently busy with various concerts, programs, and teaching activities, including the Green Mountain Opera Festival, the Vancouver Early Music Festival, international travel, and other interesting work. All of which is to say that we are all roaming far and wide, and keeping ourselves busy!

Organizing our collaborative work in one place and aligning our schedules is proving to be a challenge, but we plan to come together in the fall to resume our programming. More details as they are available. Thanks for visiting!

UPDATE: Gerald, John, and Chris will be performing together at the College Music Society’s National Conference in October, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA. Additional Boston events around that trip are almost sure to happen!

Concert recordings now available for streaming on SoundCloud!

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Thanks to the SoundCloud music sharing service, we are pleased to share several recordings of performances from recent Spacious Vision programs.

You can hear soprano Barbara Kilduff and tenor Gerald Seminatore, along with pianist Libor Dudas, in selections from our recent New Year Concert at Bowdoin College. The program included songs by George Frederic Handel, Hugo Wolf, Peter Warlock, John Jacob Niles, and others.

Our 2012 concerts for World AIDS Day elicited deeply felt and appreciative responses from our audiences. From the SoundCloud page, you may stream readings and songs from the AIDS Quilt Songbook, as well as songs by Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, John Duke, Carlisle Floyd, and Richard Hundley. Performers include actress Diana Burbano, pianist Christopher Reed, baritone John Seesholtz, and tenor Gerald Seminatore.

https://soundcloud.com/spacious-vision

(TIP for new visitors: The orange arrow button on the left side of each waveform graphic is the “Play” icon. Click there and wait a second or two for playback to begin.)

New Year Concert on Jan. 4 at Bowdoin College, Brunswick

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400px-Bowdoin-chapel-winterFollowing the tradition of Christmas lasting 12 days, our program concludes the holiday season and celebrates the New Year.  Soprano Barbara Kilduff, pianist Brian Moll, and tenor Gerald Seminatore will perform seasonal songs, arias, and duets by J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten, Georg Frederic Handel, Ralph Vaughn Williams, and others.

This is a singular opportunity to experience the work of accomplished artists in the intimate environment of the historic Chapel at Bowdoin College. Leave the cold outside and join us for a soulful concert of repertoire for the winter season.

BARBARA KILDUFF (soprano). Appearances at Metropolitan Opera, La Scale, Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera. Soloist with many orchestras. Active recitalist.

GERALD SEMINATORE (tenor). Critically acclaimed soloist in opera and concert throughout the United States and in Europe, including Dortmund, Frankfurt, Kaiserslautern, and Bremen (Germany), as well Santa Fe, Glimmerglass, West Bay, and other theaters. Many song recitals with emphasis on the German Lied and works of Benjamin Britten.

BRIAN MOLL (piano). Pianist in recitals in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Japan, and the United States. Assistant Conductor for Boston Lyric Opera and Opera North. Chair of Vocal and Keyboard Studies, Longy School of Music of Bard College.

PRACTICAL DETAILS

Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 at the Bowdoin College Chapel, Brunswick, ME.
7:30 start time. Doors open at 7:00.

No pre-sale for tickets, $15 general admission at the door, $10 discount for students/seniors and Bowdoin Friends and staff. Cash or personal check only, please.

Free parking is easily accessible on Park Row, just off of Maine Street on the western perimeter of the Bowdoin campus. A map of the Bowdoin College campus can be downloaded here.

The Chapel entrance is wheelchair/walker accessible. You may wish to bring a cushion.

E-mail inquiries to spaciousvision@outlook.com, or you may leave a comment here which our moderator will see. Voicemail messages may be left at  (207) 200-3526, and we will respond as soon as we can.

Thank you for visiting, and we hope to see you on Jan. 4!