Graduate recital in Voice

Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 71:32 in lengthThe music programmed for this recital offers a wide spectrum of musical styles ranging from the florid passages of the Baroque to the expansive harmonic scheme of the post-Romantic Era including the use of Italian, French, German and English texts. The recital opens with the ???Prologue??? from I Pagliacci written by Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919). This aria can be broken down into several sections which vary in meter and harmonic content. The introduction or prelude to the aria is exhilarating with surging sequences and driving rhythmic structures. This introduction is brought to a quick end as the character Tonio greets the audience, explains that he is the prologue and describes what is in store for the audience. In the next few sections, Tonio continues his remarks about the author???s intent for the opera. He describes how the author wrote from memories imbedded in his soul using his sobs for the beats of time. The next section depicts the action of the actors including love, hate, sadness, rage and cynical laughter. The penultimate section, which has the most compelling and expressive melody and lines, asks the audience to disregard the costumes and realize that behind the make-up exists a man, like themselves. The final section of the aria is very declamatory. Tonio tells the audience that the plot has been set and they should sit back and see how the story develops. The aria concludes with a brisk postlude which is reminiscent of the opening prelude. The four chansons of Don Quichotte by Jacques lbert (1890-1962) depict the life of the great and legendary Don Quichotte. The first of these songs, Chanson du Depart, a setting of a 16th century poem by Ronsard, illustrates the Spanish influence of which some French composers were so fond. The second song, Chanson a Dulcinee, poetry also by Ronsard, is a song which reminisces over the love for Dulcinee. The form of the song is A B A??? B??? A???. The A sections express the anguish felt by the lover in absence of his precious Dulcinee comparing her to wonderful elements of nature. Chanson du Duc, the third song is in a varied strophic form. All three stanzas, written by Ronsard, are quite declamatory in nature and describe what a Duke would do for his lady. (See more in text.