September 8, 2014

SONGS OF ISSA for soprano & piano

Songs of Issa (1999). Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) was the best loved of the Japanese Haiku poets. Generally speaking, his prose reflects two themes: tragedy and nature. In composing the cycle I tried to capture the simple character or meaning inherent in each poem: the off and on of a firefly’s light, the heavy burden of loosing a child, the slow movement of a snail, and the grieving over the loss of a mother.

 

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)

THE FIREFLY
The first firefly…
But he got away
And I…
Air in my fingers.

DEW
Dew evaporates
And all our world is dear
So dear, so fresh, so fleeting.

THE SNAIL
O summer snail
You climb,
But slowly, slowly
To the mountains summit.

DEEP DARK SEA
Mother lost, long gone…
At the deep dark sea,
I stare…
At the deep dark sea.


AWARDS
Winner, The Chicago Ensemble ‘Discover America IV’ Composition Contest
Finalist, Auros New Music Composition Competition


SELECT PERFORMANCE HISTORY
• Julie Gickling, soprano & Joanna Sobkowski, piano (premiere) | August 17, 1999 | CASMI Workshop, Tallahassee, FL
• Jennifer Needham, soprano & Leonard Mark Lewis, piano | March 22, 2000 | UT Austin, Austin, TX
• Jennifer Needham, soprano & Leonard Mark Lewis, piano | April 7, 2000 | Ruta Maya Coffee House, Austin, TX
• Barbara Clements, soprano & Trey Cox, piano | February 3, 2001 | FSU Festival of New Music
• Valerie Kraft, soprano & Jeremy Rafal, piano | June 20, 2001 | Music 2001, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
• The Chicago Ensemble: Sharon Quatrin, soprano & Gerald Rizzer, piano |
February 16, 2003 | International House, Chicago, IL
• The Chicago Ensemble: Sharon Quatrin, soprano & Gerald Rizzer, piano |
February 18, 2003 | Three Arts Club, Chicago, IL
• Barbara Clements, soprano & Jason Smith, piano | April 11, 2003 | Opperman Music Hall, Tallahassee, FL
• Cynthia Longoria, soprano & David Sutanto, piano | April 29, 2006 | Del Mar College School of Music,
Corpus Christi, TX