ARTIST RECITAL
Helen Hodam Merit Scholarship Dedication
DENYCE GRAVES ’85, hon. ’98
mezzo-soprano
WARREN JONES
piano
Ombra mai fù (from Serse)
Hence, Iris, hence away (from Semele)
George Frideric Handel
(1685–1759)
Morgen, Op. 27, No. 4
Zueignung, Op. 10, No. 1
Richard Strauss
(1864–1949)
Heimliches Lieben, Op. 106, No. 1, D. 922
Der Tod und das Mädchen, Op. 7, No. 3, D. 531
Gretchen am Spinnrade, Op. 2, D. 118
Franz Schubert
(1797–1828)
Acerba voluttà (from Adriana Lecouvreur)
Francesco Cilea
(1866–1950)
INTERMISSION
When the Forsythia Bloom
When the Forsythia Bloom
Faceless
From a Dream
Robert Saari
(b. 1947)
Zion's Walls
At the River
The Boatmen's Dance
I Bought Me a Cat
arr. Aaron Copland
(1900–1990)
Il est doux, il est bon (from Hérodiade)
Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix
(from Samson et Dalila)
Jules Massenet (1842–1912)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
*PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
Ms. Graves appears by arrangement with IMG Artists
Carnegie Hall Tower 152 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
No photographic or recording equipment is permitted in Finney Chapel.
Please silence all cell phones, pagers and watch alarms. Thank you.
FINNEY MEMORIAL CHAPEL
OCTOBER 11, 2009
4:00 P.M.
DENYCE GRAVES
Recognized worldwide as one of today's most exciting vocal stars, Denyce
Graves continues to gather unparalleled popular and critical acclaim in
performances on four continents. USA Today identifies her as “an operatic
superstar of the 21st Century,” and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
exclaims, “if the human voice has the power to move you, you will be
touched by Denyce Graves.”
Her career has taken her to the world's great opera houses and concert halls.
The combination of her expressive, rich vocalism, elegant stage presence and
exciting theatrical abilities allows her to pursue a wide breadth of operatic
portrayals as well as delight audiences in concert and recital appearances.
Denyce Graves has become particularly well known to operatic audiences for
her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These
signature roles have brought Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna
Staatsoper, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra
National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington Opera,
Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opernhaus
Zürich, Teatro Real in Madrid, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Teatro
Colón in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Opera and the Festival Maggio
Musicale in Florence.
During the current season, Ms. Graves celebrates the opening of the Dallas
Center for the Performing Arts in a gala concert with Thomas Hampson and
the Dallas Opera Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Graeme
Jenkins. She reprises her acclaimed portrayal of Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle
in concert performances of the opera with Giancarlo Guerrero and the
Nashville Symphony Orchestra and headlines productions of Carmen with
Opera Carolina and Opera New Jersey. A prolific recital artist, she tours
North America and Europe with concerts in many of the world’s leading
cultural capitals.
Denyce Graves is a native of Washington, D.C., where she attended the Duke
Ellington School for the Performing Arts. She continued her education at
Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory.
In 1998, Ms. Graves received an honorary doctorate from Oberlin College
Conservatory of Music. She was named one of the “50 Leaders of
Tomorrow” by Ebony Magazine and was one of Glamour Magazine's 1997
“Women of the Year.” In 1999 WQXR Radio in New York named her as one
of classical music's “Standard Bearers for the 21st Century.” Denyce Graves
has been invited on several occasions to perform in recital at The White
House, and she provides many benefit performances for various causes
special to her throughout each season.
WARREN JONES
Warren Jones frequently performs with many of today’s best-known artists,
including Denyce Graves, Stephanie Blythe, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Anthony
Dean Griffey, Ruth Ann Swenson, Bo Skovhus, Samuel Ramey, James
Morris, John Relyea, Joseph Alessi and Richard “Yongjae” O’Neill—and is
Principal Pianist for the exciting California-based chamber music group
Camerata Pacifica. In the past he has partnered such great performers as
Marilyn Horne, Håkan Hagegård, Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Carol
Vaness, Judith Blegen, Tatiana Troyanos and Martti Talvela. His
collaborations have earned consistently high praise from many publications:
The Boston Globe termed him "flawless" and "utterly ravishing"; The New
York Times, "exquisite"; and The San Francisco Chronicle said simply, "He
is the single finest accompanist now working."
Mr. Jones has been featured in an interview with Eugenia Zuckerman on CBS
Sunday Morning in which his work as a performer and teacher was explored,
and he has appeared on television across the United States with Luciano
Pavarotti. He has often been a guest artist at Carnegie Hall and in Lincoln
Center's “Great Performers Series” as well as the festivals of Tanglewood,
Ravinia and Caramoor. His international travels have taken him to recitals at
the Salzburg Festival, Milan's Teatro alla Scala, the Maggio Musicale
Festival in Florence, the Teatro Fenice in Venice, Paris' Théâtre des ChampsElysées and Opéra Bastille, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in
London, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Cultural
Centre in Hong Kong and theatres throughout Scandinavia and Korea. Mr.
Jones has been invited three times to the White House by American
presidents to perform at concerts honoring the President of Russia, and Prime
Ministers of Italy and Canada — and three times he has appeared at the U.S.
Supreme Court as a specially invited performer for the Justices and their
guests. As a guest at the Library of Congress, Mr. Jones has appeared with
the Juilliard Quartet in performances of the Schumann Piano Quintet. He was
featured in the United Nations memorial concert and tribute to Miss Audrey
Hepburn, an event which was telecast worldwide following Miss Hepburn's
death.
Recent seasons have included his debut with the Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center in a work commissioned for Stephanie Blythe and him,
Covered Wagon Woman, by Alan Louis Smith. In addition to performances
with the Borromeo and Brentano Quartets, he has been heard at the New
York Philharmonic in the Sextet of Ernst von Dohnanyi, and been invited to
participate regularly in the annual Marilyn Horne Foundation gala festivities
at Carnegie Hall, both as performer and master class teacher.
Celebration of Helen Hodam’s life and legacy (1915-2008)
Professor of Singing at Oberlin, 1963-1984
Throughout her long life, Helen Hodam gave generously of her time and
talents, helping dozens of students build careers in classical singing. Now,
another generous gift continues her life’s work and will allow generations of
talented young singers to study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
A $1.7 million gift from the legendary voice teacher’s estate has established
and will endow the Helen Hodam Merit Scholarship in Voice at the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music. A professor of singing at Oberlin for more than two
decades, “Miss Hodam,” as she was universally addressed, was one of the
most distinguished voice teachers in the United States. Miss Hodam’s
students performed with many of the world’s major opera companies,
including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and San Francisco
Opera, and with European companies in Cologne, Munich, Vienna, Paris,
Zürich, Madrid and Amsterdam.
Notable singers taught by Miss Hodam at Oberlin include Lisa Saffer ’82,
Ann Panagulias ’84 and Denyce Graves ’85, hon. ’98. In celebration of Miss
Hodam’s life and legacy, Graves appears in this evening’s recital with pianist
Warren Jones as part of Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series. In a recent interview
with the Boston Globe, Graves praised Miss Hodam: “She was an enormous
part of my life, and she’s the reason I have a career today, without a doubt…
She produced a lot of wonderful artists all over the globe.”
Helen Hodam grew up in Illinois and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan
University, where she studied voice and organ. She pursued graduate work at
the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music and earned a master
of music degree from the Hartt College of Music in 1952. She began her
teaching career at Hardin-Baylor College and Muskingum College. A large
portion of her career was spent at Oberlin, where she taught from 1963 to
1984. Her passion for teaching compelled her to continue working after
retiring from Oberlin, as a professor at Boston’s New England Conservatory,
until illness forced her to retire in 2003. In her 50 years of teaching, she
worked with hundreds of singers.
“Helen Hodam was my formative vocal and musical teacher, my guide and
confidante, my conspirator, and eventually my friend,” says soprano Lisa
Saffer. “She helped me to not only find my voice, but to find my own way of
musical inquiry and discovery, probably because she was a naturally curious
person herself.” Saffer, who is renowned for her interpretations of
contemporary operas, says that Miss Hodam was always interested in seeking
out new music for her students to study. By the time she left Oberlin, Miss
Hodam’s requests had expanded the library’s vocal holdings significantly,
particularly in the areas of contemporary music, French mélodie and baroque
arias.
Miss Hodam’s generosity was a defining characteristic of her relationships
with students. Although she was widely regarded as one of the finest voice
teachers in the country, she charged modest fees for lessons, telling students
to instead use their limited resources for living expenses. She lived modestly
herself and left Oberlin much of the money she had saved, funding the merit
scholarship that now bears her name.
In accordance with Miss Hodam’s wishes, the scholarship will ensure that
generations of talented young singers are financially supported as they pursue
rigorous training in vocal performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
The scholarship will be awarded based on both financial need and merit.
Oberlin is extremely grateful for Miss Hodam’s exceptional devotion to the
teaching of young singers and for her generous gift which will enable
extraordinary undergraduate vocal students to attend the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music.
PROGRAM NOTES
The recital opens with one of the most celebrated arias from the Baroque era:
Ombra mai fù, also known as the ‟Largo” from Serse (‟Xerxes”). Handel
wrote this, one of his last Italian operas, in 1737-38 on a subject taken from
the history of the Greco-Persian wars in the 5th century B.C.E. as related by
Herodotus. (The libretto was by Niccolò Minato and Silvio Stampiglia.) The
historian related that Xerxes one day ‟came across a plane-tree of such
beauty that he was moved to decorate it with golden ornaments and to
appoint a guardian for it in perpetuity.” This is the tree whose wonderful
shade Serse praises in his aria, at the very beginning of the opera.
The next selection, ‟Hence, Iris, hence away,” is from Semele (1743),
officially classified as an oratorio because of its English text but for all
intents and purposes an opera. After all, its subject is not Biblical but
mythological, with Semele, daughter of Cadmus, King of Thebes, as one of
Jupiter’s many mortal lovers. (The story, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, was
adapted for Handel by William Congreve. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, is
understandably incensed by her husband’s latest infidelity and dispatches her
helper Iris to assist her in her plans to destroy her rival.
Morgen (‟Tomorrow,” 1894) by Richard Strauss opens with a famously long
piano introduction. (When Strauss orchestrated this song, he gave its
beautiful melody to a solo violin.) The voice enters in mid-phrase with the
word und (‟and”), as if continuing the idea started in the piano part. In the
poem by John Henry Mackay, a pair of lovers enjoys a leisurely stroll down
to the seashore. As they silently look into each other’s eyes, a series of
magical chords conveys the ‟silence of happiness.”
Strauss wrote Zueignung (‟Dedication,” 1883) when he was barely
nineteen years old. The words ‟thank you” have never been spoken with
more fervor than in this setting of a poem by Hermann von Gilm. The song
begins with a simple melody that, with each repeat, takes a different tonal
turn and erupts in a powerful high note at the end.
The first of the three Schubert songs on the program, Heimliches Lieben
(‟Secret Love,” D. 922), was written in 1827 during the composer’s visit to
Graz. The author of the poem, Karoline Louise von Klenke, was the mother
of Helmina von Chézy, the librettist of Schubert’s opera Rosamunde. Despite
a certain restraint, apparent in the moderate tempo and the long legato lines,
the passionate feelings are never far from the surface.
Der Tod und das Mädchen (‟Death and the Maiden,” D. 531, 1817),
written on a poem by Matthias Claudius, is one of Schubert’s most stunning
songs. A young girl’s fear of death and the consoling words of the Grim
Reaper are captured with an astonishing vividness, though it is debatable how
reassuring Schubert’s setting really is, with its stark chords and extremely
austere melodic line.
Gretchen am Spinnrade (‟Gretchen at the Spinning-Wheel,” D. 118),
was one of Schubert’s first masterpieces, written in 1814 at the age of
seventeen. In this excerpt from Goethe’s Faust, Gretchen re-lives her
encounter with the drama’s title character with whom she has fallen
passionately in love. The even motion of the spinning-wheel contrasts with
the expression of her inner turmoil; the wheel stops at the moment when
Gretchen recalls Faust’s kiss.
Francesco Cilea wrote his best-known opera, Adriana Lecouvreur, in 1902,
after a French play by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé, adapted in Italian
by Arturo Colautti. The protagonist is an actress, star of the Comédie
Française in Paris in 1730. It is a drama of love and jealousy, in the course of
which the Princess of Bouillon has an emotional outburst in Acerba voluttà
(‟Bitter delight”) as she eagerly awaits the man who is also loved by Adriana.
Ohio composer Robert Saari wrote a three-song cycle, When the Forsythia
Bloom, based on poems by his wife, Susan Jenkins Saari. Denyce Graves
gave the world premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2006,
and continues to champion these heartfelt Romantic American songs that a
critic described as ‟contemporary and timeless in content.”
Between 1950 and 1952, Aaron Copland arranged a total of ten folk songs in
two groups of five each. He had found some of the songs in sheet music
collections, others he had heard performed live or on record. Published as
Old American Songs, these melodies vary widely in style and content, from
religious hymns (Zion’s Walls and At the River) to minstrel song (The
Boatmen’s Dance) to the children’s song I Bought Me a Cat (a close relative
of Old McDonald). In these arrangements, Copland strove to preserve the
simplicity of the originals; yet by adding a minimal amount of harmonic and
rhythmic development, he set his stamp on the folk songs, giving them an
unmistakable Copland sound.
Jules Massenet’s opera Hérodiade was written between 1878 and 1881; it
was revised in 1883. Based on Gustave Flaubert’s novella, it is a retelling of
the biblical Salomé story. (The libretto was a joint effort by Paul Milliet and
Henri Grémont.) Il est doux, il est bon (‟He is kind, he is good”) is Salomé’s
aria from Act I in which she tells of her love for St. John the Baptist -- with
considerably more decorum than she displays in the later Oscar
Wilde/Richard Strauss version!
Samson and Delilah (1877) by Camille Saint-Saëns and librettist Ferdinand
Lemaire follows the story of the Biblical hero whose uncommon strength
resided in the locks of his hair. In her seductive aria Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta
voix (‟My heart opens itself to your voice”), Delilah is using her charms to
make Samson reveal his secret -- which, of course, he will do, with disastrous
consequences.
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
George Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)
Ombra mai fù (Silvio Stampiglia)
Frondi tenere e belle
Del mio Platano amato
Per voi risplenda il Fato
Tuoni, Lampi, e Procelle
Non vi oltraggino mai la cara pace,
Ne giunga a profanarvi Austro rapace
Never was there shade
Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
Let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never bother your dear peace,
Nor may you by blowing winds be
profaned.
Ombra mai fù
Di Vegetabile,
Cara ed amabile
Soave più.
Never was there shade
Of a plant
more dear and loving
or more gentle.
Iris, hence away
(William Congreve)
Hence, Iris, hence away,
Far from the realms of Day;
O'er Scythian Hills to the Meotian Lake
A speedy Flight we'll take:
There Somnus I'll compell
His downy bed to leave and silent cell:
With noise and light I will his peace molest,
Nor shall he sink again to pleasing rest,
'Till to my vow'd revenge he grants
supplies,
and seals with sleep the wakeful dragon's
eyes.
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Morgen! (John Henry Mackay)
Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder
scheinen
Und auf dem Wege, den ich gehen werde,
Wird uns, die Glücklichen, sie wieder einen
Inmitten dieser sonnenatmenden Erde. . .
Tomorrow!
And tomorrow the sun will shine again,
and on the path that I shall take,
it will unite us, happy ones, again
upon this sun-breathing earth . . .
Und zu dem Strand, dem weiten,
wogenblauen,
Werden wir still und langsam niedersteigen,
Stumm werden wir uns in die Augen
schauen,
Und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes
Schweigen…
and to the shore, broad, blue-waved,
we shall, quiet and slow, descend,
silent, into each other’s eyes we’ll gaze,
and on us will fall joy’s speechless
silence . . .
Zueignung
Dedication
(Hermann von Gilm zu Rosenegg)
Ja, du weißt es, teure Seele,
daß ich fern von dir mich quäle,
Liebe macht die Herzen krank,
habe Dank.
Yes, dear soul, you know,
away from you I'm in torment,
love makes hearts sick,
have thanks.
Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher,
hoch den Amethysten-Becher,
und du segnetest den Trank,
habe Dank.
Once I, drinker of freedom,
held high the amethyst goblet
and you blessed that draught,
have thanks.
Und beschworst darin die Bösen,
bis ich, was ich nie gewesen,
heilig, heilig an's Herz dir sank,
habe Dank!
And you drove out from it the evil ones,
till I, as never before,
holy, sank holy upon your heart,
have thanks!
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Heimliches Lieben
(Karoline Louise von Klenke)
O du, wenn deine Lippen mich berühren,
Dann will die Lust die Seele mir entführen.
Ich fühle tief ein namenloses Beben
Den Busen heben.
Secret Love
Mein Auge flammt, Glut schwebt auf
meinen Wangen;
Es schlägt mein Herz ein unbekannt
Verlangen;
Mein Geist, verirrt in trunkner Lippen
Stammeln
Kann kaum sich sammeln.
My eyes flame, a glow colors my
cheeks;
My heart beats with an unknown
longing;
My mind, lost in the stammering of my
drunken lips,
Can hardly compose itself.
Mein Leben hängt in einer solchen Stunde
An deinem süßen, rosenweichen Munde,
Und will, bei deinem trauten Armumfassen,
Mich fast verlassen.
In such a moment my life hangs
On your sweet lips, soft as roses,
And, in your dear embrace,
Life nearly deserts me.
O! daß es doch nicht außer sich kann
fliehen
Die Seele ganz in deiner Seele glühen!
Daß doch die Lippen, die voll Sehnsucht
brennen,
Sich müssen trennen!
Oh would that my life could escape
from itself,
My soul aflame in yours!
Oh that lips burning with longing
Must part!
Daß doch im Kuß' mein Wesen nicht
zerfließet
Wenn es so fest an deinen Mund sich
schließet,
Oh that my being might not dissolve in
kisses
When my lips are pressed so tightly to
yours,
Und an dein Herz, das niemals laut darf
wagen
And to your heart, which might never
dare
When your lips touch me,
Desire would bear my soul away;
I feel a nameless trembling
Which swells my breast.
Für mich zu schlagen!
To beat aloud for me!
Der Tod und das Mädchen
(Matthias Claudius)
Das Mädchen:
Vorüber! ach, vorüber!
Geh, wilder Knochenmann!
Ich bin noch jung, geh, Lieber!
Und rühre mich nicht an.
Death and the Maiden
Der Tod:
Gib deine Hand, du schön und zart Gebild',
Bin Freund und komme nicht zu strafen.
Sei gutes Muts! Ich bin nicht wild,
Sollst sanft in meinen Armen schlafen.
Death:
Yield your hand, you beautiful and
tender creature; I am a friend and come
not to chastise.
Be of good cheer! I am not wild;
You shall sleep softly in my arms.
Gretchen am Spinnrade
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Meine Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer,
Ich finde sie nimmer
Und nimmermehr.
Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel
Wo ich ihn nicht hab
Ist mir das Grab,
Die ganze Welt
Ist mir vergällt.
Where I do not have him,
That is the grave,
The whole world
Is bitter to me.
Mein armer Kopf
Ist mir verrückt,
Mein armer Sinn
Ist mir zerstückt.
My poor head
Is crazy to me,
My poor mind
Is torn apart.
Nach ihm nur schau ich
Zum Fenster hinaus,
Nach ihm nur geh ich
Aus dem Haus.
For him only I look
Out the window.
Only for him do I go
Out of the house.
Sein hoher Gang,
Sein' edle Gestalt,
Seine Mundes Lächeln,
Seiner Augen Gewalt,
His tall walk,
His noble figure,
His mouth's smile,
His eyes' power,
Und seiner Rede
Zauberfluß,
Sein Händedruck,
Und ach, sein Kuß!
And his mouth's
Magic flow,
His handclasp,
and ah! his kiss!
Meine Ruh' ist hin,
Mein Herz ist schwer,
Ich finde sie nimmer
My peace is gone,
My heart is heavy,
I will find it never
The Maiden:
Pass by! Ah, pass by!
Get away, wild skeleton!
I am still young. Away, dear man,
And touch me not.
My peace is gone,
My heart is heavy,
I will find it never
and never more.
Und nimmermehr.
and never more.
Mein Busen drängt sich
Nach ihm hin.
Ach, dürft ich fassen
Und halten ihn,
My bosom urges itself
toward him.
Ah, might I grasp
And hold him!
Und küssen ihn,
So wie ich wollt,
An seinen Küssen
Vergehen sollt!
And kiss him,
As I would wish.
At his kisses
I should die!
Francesco Cilea (1866-1950)
Acerba Voluttà
(Arturo Colautti)
Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura,
lentissima agonia, rapida offesa,
vampa, gelo, tremor, smania, paura,
ad amoroso sen torna l’attesa.
Ogni eco, ogni ombra nella notte incesa
contro la impaziente alma congiura:
fra dubbiezza e disio
tutta sospesa,
l’eternità nell’attimo misura.
Verrà? M’oblia? S’affretta?
O pur si pente?
Ecco, egli giunge!
No, del fiume è il verso,
misto al sospir d’un arbore dormente.
O vagabonda stella d’Oriente,
non tramontar:
sorridi all’universo,
e s’egli non mente,
scorta il mio amor!
Robert Saari
When the Forsythia Bloom
(Susan Jenkins Saari)
Waiting
not hopeful for
if,
but when
to talk of
together,
to seek union,
yet remaining
Bitter Enjoyment
Bitter enjoyment, sweet torture,
most drawn-out agony, sudden assault,
flames, ice, shaking, frenzy, terror,
all assail the one who loves, while she
waits.
Every echo, every shadow in the starry
night
conspires against the impatient heart,
everything suspended between
doubt and desire,
every moment lasting an eternity.
Will he come? Has he forgotten?
Is he hurrying? Or sorry?
Here he is, he is coming!
No, it is the rush of the river,
mixed with the sighing of a sleeping
tree.
Oh wandering star of the East,
do not set:
smile upon the universe,
and if he is not false,
guide my love!
you,
me.
Change of Season
brings an end
to reason.
Friendship
has ripened
to something
more.
We shall speak of it
or remain
silent
when the forsythia bloom.
Faceless
Back to back
we sat at adjoining tables
eating Chinese food
each ignoring
the presence
of the other.
Your lunchtime laughter
and my tableside chatter
joined the general hub-bub,
overhead
near the ceiling
seeking escape.
There was no sign
we had ever
even known each other,
no hello,
no nod of recognition,
only the truce
and silence
of our faceless sides.
From a Dream
From a dream
before dawn
too soon you
wake
each morning
for sunrise embrace;
yet sleep could
never be
as sweet.
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Zion’s Walls
Come fathers and mothers,
Come sisters and brothers,
Come join us in singing the praises of Zion.
O fathers, don't you feel determined
To meet within the walls of Zion?
We'll shout and go round
The walls of Zion.
At the River
(Robert Lowry)
Shall we gather by the river,
Where bright angel's feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
Yes, we'll gather by the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Ere we reach the shining river
Lay we every burden down,
Praise our spirits will deliver
And provide our robe and crown.
Yes, we'll gather at the river.
The beautiful, the beautiful, river.
Gather with the saints at the river,
That flows by the throne of God
Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
Yes, we'll gather by the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.
The Boatmen’s Dance
The boatmen dance, the boatmen sing,
The boatmen up to ev’rything,
And when the boatman gets on shore
He spends his cash and works for more.
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
Then dance the boatmen dance,
O dance the boatmen dance.
O dance all night ‘til broad daylight,
And go home with the gals in the mornin’.
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
I went on board the other day
To see what the boatmen had to say.
There I let my passion loose
An’ they cram me in the callaboose.
O dance the boatmen dance. . .
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
The boatman is a thrifty man,
There’s none can do as the boatman can.
I never see a pretty gal in my life
But that she was a boatman’s wife.
O dance the boatmen dance. . .
High row the boatmen row,
Floatin’ down the river the Ohio.
I Bought Me a Cat
I bought me a cat
My cat pleased me
I fed my cat under yonder tree.
My cat says fiddle eye fee.
I bought me a duck
My duck pleased me
I fed my duck under yonder tree
My duck says “Quaa, quaa”
My cat says fiddle eye fee.
I bought me a goose
My goose pleased me
I fed my goose under yonder tree.
My goose says “Quaw, quaw”
My duck says “Quaa, quaa”
My cat says fiddle eye fee.
I bought me a hen
My hen pleased me
I fed my hen under yonder tree.
My hen says “Shimmy shack, shimmy
shack”
My goose says, etc.
I bought me a pig
My pig pleased me
I fed my pig under yonder tree.
My pig says “Griffey, Griffey”
My hen says, etc.
I bought me a cow
My cow pleased me
I fed my cow under yonder tree.
My cow says “Moo, moo”
My pig says, etc.
I bought me a horse
My horse pleased me
I fed my horse under yonder tree.
My horse says “Neigh, neigh”
My cow says, etc.
I bought me a wife
My wife please me
I fed my wife under yonder tree.
My wife says “Honey, honey”
My horse says, etc.
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Il est doux, il est bon
(Angelo Zanardini, Paul Milliet and Henri
Grémont)
Celui don’t la parole efface toutes peines,
Le prophète, est ici!
C’est vers lui que je vais!
He is sweet, he is good
Il est doux, il est bon,
sa parole est sereine:
Il parle... tout se tait...
Plus léger sur la plaine
L'air attentif passe sans bruit.
Ah! quand reviendra-t-il?
Quand pourrai-je l'entendre?
He is sweet, he is good;
His words are serene,
He speaks and all is silent…
Over the plain
The listening air passes noiselessly.
Ah! When will he return?
When shall I hear his voice?
Je souffrais... j'étais seule,
et mon coeur s'est calmé
En écoutant sa voix
mélodieuse et tendre!
Prophète bien aimé,
puis-je vivre sans toi!
I was suffering, I was alone,
And my heart was calmed
On hearing his
Melodious tender voice!
Dearly beloved prophet,
How can I live without you!
C'est là, dans ce désert où
There in the desert, where the
He whose word banishes all sorrows,
The prophet, is here!
It is to him that I go!
la foule étonnée avait suivi ses pas,
qu'il m'accueillit un jour,
enfant abandonnée!
Et qu'il m'ouvrit ses bras!
Astonished crowd had followed him,
He found me one day,
An abandoned child,
And opened his arms to me!
Il est doux, il est bon, etc.
He is sweet, he is good, etc.
Ah! quand reviendra-t-il?
Quand pourrai-je l'entendre?
Prophète bien aimé,
puis-je vivre sans toi!
Ah, when will he return?
When shall I hear his voice?
Dearly beloved prophet,
How can I live without you!
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix
(Ferdinand Lemaire)
Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix,
comme s’ouvrent les fleurs
aux baisers de l’aurore!
Mais, ô mon bien-aimé,
pour mieux sécher mes pleurs,
que ta voix parle encore!
Dis-moi qu’à Dalila
tu reviens pour jamais!
Redis à ma tendresse
les serments d’autrefois,
ces serments que j’aimais!
Ah! réponds à ma tendresse!
Verse-moi l’ivresse!
My heart opens to your voice
Ainsi qu’on voit des blés
les épis onduler
Sous la brise légère,
Ainsi frémit mon cœur,
prêt à se consoler,
À ta voix qui m’est chère!
La flèche est moins rapide
à porter le trépas,
Que ne l’est ton amante
à voler dans tes bras!
Like one sees the blades
of wheat that bend
in the light wind,
so trembles my heart,
ready to be consoled,
by your voice that is so dear to me!
The arrow is less rapid
in bringing death,
than is your lover
to fly into your arms!
Ah! réponds à ma tendresse! etc.
Ah! respond to my tenderness! etc.
My heart opens to your voice
as the flowers open
to the kisses of the dawn!
But, oh my beloved,
to better dry my tears,
let your voice speak again!
Tell me that you are returning
to Delilah forever!
Repeat to my tenderness
the promises of old times,
those promises that I loved!
Ah! respond to my tenderness!
Fill me with ecstasy!
THE FRIENDS OF THE ARTIST RECITAL SERIES
Our generous Friends take great pride in knowing that they play a part in bringing superb
music to our community. Please join the Friends of the Artist Recital Series today and take
advantage of the special benefits such as complimentary recordings, discounted subscriptions,
invitation to exclusive receptions, recognition in concert programs, and a tax deduction. For
more information on the Friends, please call the Conservatory of Music, (440) 775-8200.
The following list represents memberships in the Friends program as of September 25, 2009.
MAESTRO
($500+)
George and Ruth Bent
Richard and Louise Dunn
Daniel and Elizabeth Goulding
Andrea and James Kalyn
Marvin Krislov and
Amy Sheon
Jane B. Nord
Riverside Company
David H. Stull and
Jessica Downs
Don and Mary Louise
VanDyke
ENCORE
($250+)
Ellen Adams
Roger and Fran Cooper
Sean Decatur and
Renee Romano
Veronica Dever
Mary K. Gray and Jamey
Haddad
Nancy J. Gray
John and Dian Haynes
Donald and Joy Illig
Carol Lasser and Gary
Kornblith
Irwin Lewis
J. Duncan and Nina S. Love
Jane Mathison and
Peter Takács
Thomas and Mary
Van Nortwick
Theodore Nowick and
Robert Taylor
James K. Sunshine
Ellis and Beth Tallman
Pang Tsui
Etta Ruth Weigl
Catherine Wilber
Keith and Torie Young
BRAVO
($125+)
Ted and Helene Altfield
Geoffrey Andrews
Jerry and Jeanne Berner
Richard and Viola Blount
David and Sigrid Boe
Clair and Janis Brewer
James David Christie
Nancy Cooper – In Memory of
Walter Aschaffenburg
Norman and Ann Craig
Emiko H. Custer
David and Adelade Davies
Bernard and Sheila Eckstein
Cherie Fabian
Marcia and Sam Goldberg
Mary Lynne Grove and
Marian Lott
Herb and Sabra Henke
Clyde and Maryann Hohn
Maxine W. Houck
Adelbert and Betty Jenkins
Joseph and Dorothy Luciano
William Masica
Jeanne McKibben
Albert J. McQueen
Mrs. Don J. Pease
Carl Peterson
Katherine Prescott
Warren and Judy Sheldon
Robert and Judy Skillicorn
William and Susan Skinner
Harold and Linda Slocum
Martha A. Stacy
Kathryn Stuart and David
Breitman
James and Andree Underwood
Milan and Sofia Vitek
Ed and Anne Wardwell
Robert and Judith Weiss
Helen Wheeler
Reid and Gail Wood
James and Janice Zinser
OVATION
($75+)
Marci and Brian Alegant
Paul and Sally Arnold
John and Frances Baumann
Nancy Beauchamp
Marc and Sharon Blecher
Jane Blodgett
Charlotte Bosch
Joanne and Walker Brock
Edward and Sally Brown
John and Julie Bucher
Corning Chisholm
Bruce and Mary Ellen Cudney
Warren and Marsha Darcy
William and Betty Dewitt
David and Paulie Evans
Ann L. Fuller
Philip and Kathy Ganske
Dewey and Carol Ganzel
Milton and Jane Garrett
Harvey Gittler and
Naomi Barnett
Meg Gold
Phyllis Gorfain and
Bruce Richards
Shirley Hayward
Jean Heller
William and Janet Hutchison
Allen Huszti
Elizabeth James
Susan and Nicholas Jones
Gloria S. Kim
Darlene Krato
Frank and Lenore Laycock
Kathy Linehan
Thomas Lopez and Holly
Handman-Lopez
Shirley Lutts
Daune S. Mahy
Marilyn McDonald
Nicki and John Memmot
Bob and Jean Meresko
Marlene and Dan Merrill
Joshua Levy and Jan Miyake
Jane Moore
Thelma Morris
Don and Joanne Norenberg
Terri Postel
Floyd and Marjorie Ramp
Charles and Sharon Raquet
Nancy and Robert Roth
Ruth Searles
Stephen and Carol Sedgewick
Ron and Toni Susel
June Swartwout
Helen Taylor
Heidi Tewarson
Robert and Margaret Wade
Virginia Waratinsky
Carol Warren
R. Budd and Janet Kelsey
Werner
Betty Whitacre
Eleanor Whitehead
If your name is missing or incorrectly listed, please call (440) 775-8200 so that we
may correct it in future programs.
Thank you.
Oberlin College Conservatory Of Music
2009 Fall Semester
Major Concert Events
Oberlin Wind Ensemble
Thursday, November 5, 8:00 pm
Friday, December 4, 8:00 pm
Warner Concert Hall
Oberlin Orchestra
Friday, November 6, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Oberlin Jazz Ensemble
Saturday, November 7, 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 5, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Oberlin College Choir
Saturday, November 7, 8:00 pm
Warner Concert Hall
Contemporary Music Ensemble
Friday, November 13, 8:00 pm
Friday, December 11, 8:00 pm
Warner Concert Hall
Guitar Ensemble
Tuesday, November 17, 8:00 pm
Wednesday, November 24, 8:00 pm
Kulas Recital Hall
College Community Strings
Thursday, December 3, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Collegium Musicum
Friday, December 4, 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 5, 8:00 pm
Fairchild Chapel
Musical Union and Oberlin Orchestra
Sunday, December 6, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Oberlin Chamber Orchestra
Tuesday, December 8, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Women’s Chorale / College Singers
Wednesday, December 9, 8:00 pm
Warner Concert Hall
College Community Winds
Thursday, December 10, 8:00 pm
Finney Chapel
Oberlin Opera Scenes Programs
Saturday, December 12, 4:00 & 8:00 pm
Kulas Recital Hall
DANENBERG RESIDENCY/EDGAR VISITNG ARTIST FUND
VOICE MASTER CLASSES*
Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano
Distinguished Professor of Voice
Friday, October 30, 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 1, 2:00 pm
Finney Chapel
MARILYN HORNE FOUNDATION RECITAL*
Lester Lynch, baritone and Jerome Tan, piano
Wednesday, December 2, 7:00 pm
Warner Concert Hall
FACULTY CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
Sunday, November 8, 4:00 pm
Finney Chapel
These events are free unless otherwise noted.
Visit the Oberlin Conservatory on-line calendar at www.oberlin.edu
for additional concert listings and further information.
*Tickets for these performances on sale at
CENTRAL TICKET SERVICE
Located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium
Monday–Friday, 12–5pm • 440–775–8169
Group Discounts for 10 or More
Gift Certificates Available in Any Denomination
American Express, MasterCard & Visa accepted
Opera, Theater and Dance Performances
2009 Fall Semester
Opera
Così fan tutte by Mozart
Bridget-Michaele Reischl, conductor
Jonathon Field, director
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday – November 18, 20, 21, 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 22, 2:00 pm
Hall Auditorium
Theater
SLAVE SHIP
By Imamu Amiri Baraka
Directed by Heather Harvey ‘11
October 29, 30, 8:00 pm; October 31, 2:00 & 8:00 pm
November 1, 2:00 pm
Little Theater
FRIENDS
By Albert Bryan
November 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 8:00 pm
Little Theater
THE SEAGULL
By Anton Chekhov
December 10, 11, 12, 8:00 pm
Hall Auditorium
Dance
STUDIO DANCE CONCERT
October 30, 4:30 pm
Warner Main
DANCE DIASPORA
November 6, 7, 8:00 pm
Warner Main
FELL
November 8, 7:00 pm
Warner Main
FALL FORWARD
December 4, 5, 8:00 pm
Warner Main
Tickets for these performances on sale at
CENTRAL TICKET SERVICE
Located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium
Monday–Friday, 12–5pm • 440–775–8169
Group Discounts for 10 or More
Gift Certificates Available in Any Denomination
American Express, MasterCard & Visa accepted
Oberlin College would like to acknowledge The Riverside Company
for its support in underwriting all the Oberlin radio broadcasts on
104.9 WCLV for the Artist Recital Series and the Oberlin
Conservatory during the 2009-2010 season. As a private equity firm
investing in small to medium sized businesses, the Riverside Company
supports investors and business owners across the world with offices
in New York, Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco, and Europe, and we
are grateful for their commitment to serious music in Northeast Ohio.
Terminal Tower
50 Public Square, Suite 4000
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Phone: (216) 706-3009
Fax: (216) 344-1330
www.riversidecompany.com