VOICE WITH ENSEMBLE - Old Songs for a New Man (1997) Program Notes:
Program Notes:
In 1997 I was nominated by the composer Nicholas Maw to compose a work which would be published as part of Fabermusics Millennium Commission Series. I chose to orchestrate settings by my long-time collaborator, the American poet Wendy S. Walters. I began work on One Fly and Spider Love; moving up the food chain, I added Dog by the poet Naomi Shihab Nye and Got My Bag of Brown Shoes by Walters, which completes the cycle by including human nature as part of these animal portraits.
The cycle was premiered in Nov. 2000 at the Huddersfield Festival by Ensemble 10/10, conducted by Clark Rundell. Many thanks to Timothy Jones, Stephanie SantAmbrogio, Jeffrey Sykes, Tim Brooke, and Elaine Gould, who helped this work come to life.
Derek Bermel
Mvt I. One Fly
Mvt II. Spider Love
Mvt III. Got My Bag of Brown Shoes
Mvt IV. Dog
Lyrics:
Wendy S. Walters; Naomi Shihab Nye