Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Zheng Cao, mezzo-soprano; Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Paul Groves, tenor / Keith Phares, baritone; Frederica von Stade, soprano; Dawn Harms, violin; CarlaMaria Rodrigues, viola; Emil Miland, cello; Jake Heggie, piano
Jake Heggie: A Lucky Child, from At the Statue of Venus (McNally) - Susan Graham / Some Times of Day (Carver) three songs for mezzo-soprano and piano trio: The Minuet, Simple, The Best time of the Day - Zheng Cao / Facing Forward/Looking Back - duets for two women and piano: Motherwit - Baldridge*, Grounded - Zukerman**, Mother in the Mirrow - Maupin*, Facing Forward - Heggie ** (Frederica von Stade with Susan Graham* and Joyce DiDonato**) / Here and Gone - songs and duets for tenor, baritone and piano quartet: The Farms of Home - Housman, In Praise of Songs That Die - Lindsay, Stars - Housman, The Factory Window Song - Lindsay, In the Morning - Housman, Because I Liked You Better - Housman, The Half-Moon Westers Low - Housman (Paul Groves and Keith Phares / To Say Before Going to Sleep - Rilke, trans. by A.E. Flemming) (Joyce DiDonato) / Songs and Sonnets to Ophelia: Ophelia’s Song - Heggie, Women Have Loved Before - Millay, Not in a Silver Casket - Millay, Spring - Millay (Isabel Bayrakdarian) / Final Monologue from Master Class - McNally (Joyce DiDonato)
Gramophone Editor's Choice - Awards Issue 2010
One of the leading American composers of his generation, Jake Heggie arrives on Avie with Passing By, a gorgeous collection of new songs performed by a stunning array of international vocalists. Fresh from the success of the Dallas Opera premiere of his Moby Dick – “a wonderful and rare reminder that new opera truly can excite people if it’s done right,” according to The Washington Post – Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Heggie describes this collection as “songs that tell stories about now and then. Reflections of family, friends and lovers passing by. A missed or mistaken connection, a moment when everything might have been different. People who entered our lives and would be there forever, then suddenly were not there at all.”
Indelibly associated with his acclaimed operas, including Dead Man Walking (which made the Top 10 of Billboard’s Classical Chart), Three Decembers and The End of the Affair, Jake’s heart and soul lie in storytelling through song. With lyrics and poetry by the likes of A.E. Housman, Terrence McNally and Rilke, the songs of Passing By reflect the great American songbook tradition, replete with achingly beautiful melodies and striking observations of life’s journeys.
As Passing By illustrates, Jake’s music is championed by the most illustrious international signers, many of whom he has also collaborated with as a pianist. He has received commissions from San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Carnegie Hall and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has had performances as far afield as Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland and Sweden.
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Price: $25.98