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An evening of songs for soprano voice and guitar entitled "Ancient Melodies, Modern Echoes" was presented at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 65th St. and Central Park West.
The program was split 3-ways between composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) ("perhaps the greatest 20th century composer of art songs"), Renaissance composer John Dowland (1563-1626), and a single piece by contemporary composer Caroline Shaw.
Of Dowland's songs, I loved the ancient poetry written in the time of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare. This excerpt from Come Again:
Come again, Sweet love doth now invite, Thy graces that refrain, To do me due delight, To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die, With thee again in sweetest sympathy.
Come again, That I may cease to mourn, Through thy unkind disdain: For now left and forlorn I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die, In deadly pain and endless misery.
All the day, The sun that lends me shine, By frowns do cause me pine, And feeds me with delay, Her smiles my springs, that makes my joys to grow, Her frowns the Winters of my woe. (and poem continues...)
Of Britten's many songs, it was a special treat to follow along through the sections of Nocturnal after John Dowland, op. 70 for solo guitar and, in the last part, soprano voice:
i. Musingly
ii. Very Agitated
iii. Restless
iv. Uneasy
v. March-Like
vi. Dreaming
vii. Gently Rocking
viii. Passacaglia
ix. Slow and Quiet ("Come, heavy Sleep")It was a marvelous performance in the lovely and colorful setting of the church. It was extra special to be there with son Elliot.
