Graduate recital in Voice

Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 66:93 in lengthThe repertoire presented in this recital offers a unique sampling of vocal literature from the last four centuries. This program presented an opportunity for academic research into the stylistic and interpretive requirements of each genre. Set I and II offer a comparison of two composers of Italian-style operatic music for the London stage, Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel. The first set, three selections from Purcell???s Come, Come Ye Sons of Art, illustrates the use of extended ground-bass, a technique borrowed from Italian cantatas and operas of the mid-sixteenth century. Purcell used a syllabic expression of the text, forcing the performer to constantly flight for diversity of expression. During the time of Purcell, dramatic music in England was relegated to the heroic play with music acting as an accessory to the drama. By the time Handel came to prominence in London, Italian opera had found its place, due in part to the efforts of Purcell. In 1724, Handel produced the opera Guilio Cesare from which two arias were selected for this recital. Due to the protocol of the period, after an aria was performed the character exited the stage, allowing for tremendous applause. This practice resulted in arias becoming static, merely ending the action begun in the recitative and forces the modern performer to establish emotional variety, not only in the required ornamented de-capo repeat, but also throughout the work. ???Svegliatevinel core??? is a da-capo aria with two distinct sections. The ???A??? section consists of piano accompaniment acting as concertato strings while the voice exhibits instrumental leaps. The ???B??? section is a reflective largo in the true bel canto style. ???L???aure che spira??? poses the same formal difficulties, as in ???Svegliatevi nel core???-tedium of the da-capo repeat. The process of ornamenting the final ???A??? section is not only an opportunity for the vocalist to exhibit vocal agility but also to develop the emotional character of the work. Set III is a selection of works by Henri Duparc. Each piece defines a character and expresses that character???s emotions through a series of events. Clarity of line is of the greatest importance, as the text/lines must appear seamless. Mahler???s Des Knaben Wunderhorn is based on selections from a three-volume collection of hundreds of folk poems published in the nineteenth century. The four works selected for this program were chosen from Mahler???s twelve-song set Des Knaben Wunderhorn. The four poems are related through the common thread of character and irony. Folk elements are easily recognized, especially in ???Wer hat dies liedlien erdacht???? which exhibits the dance rhythms of a l??ndler. ???Lob des hohen Verstands??? is an ironic example of Mahler???s views on critics. The characters of the song represent the different elements of a musical society. The nightingale represents Mahler the composer, who relies on the beauty of proven compositional methods, the cuckoo represents 20th century composers, while the donkey is the critic who believes that no matter what the cost his opinion is right. (See more in text.