Graduate Recital Can change to

To that man I love

Jacelyn Yeo, soprano A graduation recital by
Nicholas Loh, piano Jace;yn Yeo, etc etc
6 Lieder, Op. 13
1. Ich stand in dunklen Trumen
2. Sie liebten sich beide
3. Liebeszauber
4. Der Mond kommt still gegangen
5. Ich hab in Deinem Auge
6. Die stille Lotosblume

Briefly It Enters
III. Otherwise
VI. Man Eating

Deux Romance

Clara Schumann
(1819 - 1896)

William Bolcom
(b. 1938)

Claude Debussy
(1862 - 1918)

Les Cloches
Romance

Fidelio
O wr ich schon mit dir vereint

Ludvig van
Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)

Ridente la calma

Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
(1756 - 1791)

Sonnets from the Portuguese

Libby Larsen
(b. 1950)

II. My Letters
III. With the Same Hearts, I Said, Ill Answer Thee

Alcina
Tornami a vagheggiar

George Frederic
Handel
(1685 - 1759)

May 11, 2016 | 8.55pm

Lee Foundation Theatre | FREE ADMISSION

6 Lieder, Op. 13
by Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896)

Beginning the set on 6 German songs by Clara Schumann. Clara Schumann was a
gifted piano player and composer, teacher, editor. She is a wife of Robert Schumann,
apparently began to compose songs only after her marriage as birthday or Christmas
gift for him. One of the three was her setting of Heinrich Heines Ich stand in
dunklen Trumen. The motivation for Claras setting comes from reflective thoughts
about the recent period of separation, during which both she and Robert must, on
many occasions, have enacted the scene described by Heine at the beginning of his
poem: one lover stood in melancholy reverie, gazing at the others portrait.
The second setting of Heinrich Heine was translated as They Loved Each Other. It
tells a story of a man and woman who never express the love they have for one
another even when they died. Schumann sets this text in a tragic vein, using G minor
key and harmonies filled with poignant suspensions. It written in the time signature of
6/8 and the tempo refers to a smooth motion like a wave.
The other three poems were by Emanuel Geibel, including Liebeszauber, a paean to
love and nature. It is also called as Loves magic. It consists of five stanzas in a
simple abab scheme. The first stanza provides the place of departure for loves sound,
introducing the metaphor of love as nightingale whose tone rings throughout the
forest. Subsequently the excitement of being whisked along and not only mere the
image of love but sees through the eyes of love as travels through the forest. At last,
the speaker who happened to hear this sound, wish to recapture or recreate this
beautiful sound by him/herself.
The fourth of sixth song translated as The Moon is Rises Peaceful. It is the form of
modified strophic. For the first two stanzas, the composer composed the same music,
but the last stanza she set to very similar yet slightly different music, creating an
overall form in this song that might be diagramed as A-A-A.
Fifth poem was based on Friedrich Rckerts text and was a gift to Robert Schumann
on his thirty-third birthday. It is translated as I have seen in your eyes which a
heartfelt setting of a poem on the constancy of love. The composer uses to set the
songs three key words of Liebe. Herzen and Auge over its highest note as the
highlight. Her composition of this piece makes very clear that the motifs meaning
was important for her to express her love.
Die stille Lotusblume, the closing song in Op 13 collection uses the memorable
choice of the flattened median at its point of most tender meaning, where the white
swan sings in the metaphor of love towards the lotus flower. This great poem was all
credits to Emanuel Geibel as well. The interesting part of this piece was the ending
this piece, it ends with the beginning of the progression which reflects the question:
Oh flower, white flower, can you understand the song? The lotus flower offers no
answer and so the swans song was probably in vain and provides the feeling of
unsettling.
These collections were probably composed specifically for publication in this
collection. Clara dedicated the songs to the Danish Queen Caroline Amalie, whose
hospitality she had enjoyed in spring 1842 during a concert tour.

III. Otherwise from Briefly It Enters

by William Bolcom (b. 1938)

A piece composed by American composer William Bolcom. This song cycle was
written with soprano Benita Valente in mind and the poetry is taken from the work of
American poet Jane Kenyon and published in 1997. This poems are emotionally rich
and accessible, with darker background of melancholy and loss, and partly because
the story of her marriage with the poet Donald Hall and the suffering from life after
she had leukemia.

VI. Man Eating from Briefly It Enters

by William Bolcom (b. 1938)
From the same cycle, poem and composer as the previous songs. In this song, the poet
conveys about a strangers attentiveness to the small motions involved in eating a carton of
yoghurt.

Les Cloches
by Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

A collection of Deux Romances by Debussy which included a setting of poems by

Paul Bourget that published in 1891. However, this collection provided an interplay
of two independent melodies that gives a remarkable duet between piano and voice.
Les Cloches begins with a brief piano introduction that suggesting ringing bells.
Debussy uses the expanded vocal range and dynamics to express the speaking of
happier years in poets mind. Furthermore, the unaccented rhythm in the piano
accompaniment and the interval in the last statement of this piece Des jours
dautrefois, create a feeling of tension and come to think of the days gone by.

Romance
by Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Romance opens with a brief piano that illustrates the absence of accompaniment as it
draws attention to the text. Perhaps, it gives the meaning of evaporating and suffering
soul. After the vocal line has been present, the piano melody returns to an octave
lower. Towards the end of this piece, the piano melody returns back with playing
octaves in vocal line faite despoir which to emphasize how vanish and suffer the
soul is.

O wr ich schon mit dir vereint from Fidelio

by Ludvig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

Fidelio (op. 72) is Beethovens only opera, and the Third version is the one
commonly performed today.
This aria is sung by Marzelline, the daughter of the jail guard Rocco, who has fallen
in love with Fidelio, a servant in her house. She is unaware that Fidelio is actually
Leonard in disguise, the wife of the political prisoner Florestan. The opera opens with
Roccos assistant Jacquino proposing marriage to Marzelline, but she refuses him, and
when he leaves, she sings of her love for Fidelio.

Ridente la calma (KV152)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Mozart composed the piece in 1775 and it is written in three sections, ABA form. The
A section has two main important theme and the repeat of A section is equally to the
original statement. The B section is much shorter in length. The text conveys a calm
frame of mind, that the poet looks forward to seeing his beloved, despite the binding
ties of love.

II. My Letters from Sonnets from the Portuguese

by Libby Larsen (b. 1950)

Libby Larsen is one of the most performed living American female composers. Her
works span genres including intimate vocal and chamber music, massive orchestra
works, and operas. Larsen finish composing this cycle in 1991 and it was based on
poems from Elizabeth Barrett Brownings famous collection Sonnets from the
Portuguese which consist of forty-four poems of emotions she experienced through
her entire relationship with Robert Browning.
The intention to compose this because Larsen was asked to write a song cycle that
would speak of mature love, in contrast to the youth love in Schumanns Frauenliebe
und leben. In addition, Arleen Auger, a singer suggested this whole sets of poems
specifically because she like the way how Brownings constructed the poem from the
female perspective, love, longing, sexual tension and many aspects of mature love as
an Victorian woman.
Second piece of this cycle show the poet, sitting and reading through her bundle of
letters. The letters were dry and could crumble at any moment, were out of her control
and physically released. Then, she couldnt believe the words that wrote by her lover
in the letter. The excitement of finally realizing he loved her. But she never answer
him because of her fathers disagree of their relationship.

III. With the Same Hearts, I Said, Ill Answer Thee from Sonnets from
the Portuguese
by Libby Larsen (b. 1950)

It is the third piece from this cycle. The poet has now chosen to respond to her lover
as freely as she does to those in her own family. She differentiates her childhood
response to her overbearing father and to the present response to her lover. In
childhood, her smile was feigned and in obedience, but she became adult, her
response is with a willing heart and release from solitude.

Tornami a vagheggiar from Alcina

by George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1759)

Alcina was premiered in 1735 and the operas libretto is derived from sections of
Lodovico Ariostos epic poem Orlando Furioso which written in 1516.
An exciting aria sung by Morgana or some other setting by Alcina, which occurs at
the end of Act 1. Here, Morgana sings of her love towards Ricciardo, who is actually
Bradamante disguised herself as her brother Ricciardo. Morgana believes that she is
the one that Ricciardo loves, but the truth is not.