Songs of love & death : mezzo style

Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 53:39 in lengthThe purpose of this recital is to explore mezzo-soprano opera arias and art songs with two particular themes: love and death. Note that the second of these is specifically death, and not simply a general loss. A tomb, a coffin, and even murder are all meticulously examined within these songs, while the treatment of each ranges from heartbreakingly serious to utterly comedic. Love is also explored dramatically, although it wanders through the sweetness of a lullaby or the flirtation of young love, in addition to the tragic loss of a loved one. A look at each set of songs will demonstrate how love and death are explored in the mezzo-soprano repertoire. \ud The recital begins with two arias from Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus. Here, love and death intermingle. In "Che puro ciel!" Orfeo marvels at the splendor of his surroundings as he is led through the Underworld in order to retrieve his wife, Euridice. The constant arpeggiation in the accompaniment mirrors the airy surroundings in C major, but the recitatives turn to D minor, clearly illustrating his ever-present grief at the loss of his wife. Unable to keep his promise to the gods, however, he looks at Euridice before leaving the Underworld and she dies yet again. Orfeo laments her loss in "Ahime! Dove trascorsi? ... Che faro senza Euridice?" Here, the accompaniment reveals Orfeo's heightened agitation with an allegro tempo, repeated eighth notes and finally a tremolo. Once the aria begins, the tempo relaxes and Orfeo's shock and sorrow are prominent as he asks himself and the gods three different times what he is to do without his love. \ud The three songs chosen from Hector Berlioz' song cycle, Les Nuits d'Ete, infuse the recital with energy and romantic drama. With its F major key and accompaniment of bouncy repeated eighth notes, "Villanelle" paints a picture of young lovers jaunting through a forest. "Surles Lagunes" explores a sailor's vivid grief at the death of his lover, now facing the reality of returning to sea heartbroken and alone. In F minor, the melody remains low in the voice, continually returning to C4 and even dipping to a solemn E3 as the sailor describes the night covering him "like a shroud." "L'lle inconnue" is a fantasy in D major where a captain entices a young lass to come sailing on his extraordinary ship. In constant motion, the accompaniment mimics the rocking of a ship while keys change almost as quickly as the wind. In the end, Berlioz returns safely to the home key. (See more in text.