Praises and roses: the graduate recital of Jessica Berns, coloratura soprano

The variety of styles, periods, and narrative texts in the songs of this recital can be unified when seen through the eyes of a young woman learning to express her love of God and nature and her first romantic experiences. Indeed, many of the songs in this recital use imagery describing the beauty of nature, and, specifically, the image of a rose is prevalent among the songs as well. The music in this recital spans from the baroque period to the modern era, beginning with Bach and ending with notable 20th century composer Ned Rorem, who is still living. Ultimately, this recital is unified through the music and text that is centered on this perspective of a young woman learning about love. Composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote more than 200 cantatas, most of them on sacred texts for the church by which he was employed in Leipzig. Cantata 51 for soprano and string orchestra is more unusual in that it is for solo soprano and trumpet with a chamber ensemble, whereas most of his other vocal cantatas are for SATB soloists. Much like the da capo style of the period in which the two arias in the cantata are written, the structure of the cantata overall is also in an ABA' format, beginning with the joyous praises of the first aria (in major key), moving to a more contemplative section of the recitative and second aria (in minor key), and finally returning to major key and the joyous mood of the opening with the concluding "Alleluljah!" In the context of the performance of this recital, the cantata was performed from the perspective of a young woman expressing her joy at praising God and expressing her dedication to following him. In the exuberant, joyful sections of the cantata, the "young woman" expresses this through runs, leaps, and brilliant high notes, which mirror her enthusiasm and passion. In the contemplative sections of the cantata, the character of the young woman expresses her steadfastness by singing long, sustained notes or slower runs in minor key. Both of these expressions are consistent with the style of the baroque period and of Bach's music in general. The three composers of French mélodie featured next exemplify the impressionist style of music in these compositions, as well as romantic notions of the beauty of nature combined with the experience of a dream-like fantasy. The first song, by Franz Liszt, expresses the desire to make life easier for the person to which the "young woman" sings. The poetry, by Victor Hugo, uses beautiful imagery of nature, including charming meadows, ever-shining skies, gardens full of flowers, and dreams perfumed by roses. The next mélodie, by Cécile Chaminade is from the perspective of a young lover who expresses her joy at the gloomy days having passed and being free to beckon her lover to be with her. The steady pulse of the accompaniment through repeated chords illustrates the solidity and security of the "young woman's" happiness. The poetry, by Armand Lafrique, also features imagery of the beauty of nature, including a garden perfumed by roses and filled with birds, a comparison of her passion for her love to the burning power of the sun, and a sky speckled with millions of stars. The final song, "Clair de lune" by Claude Debussy is perhaps the most quintessential representation of the impressionist period, with its twisting harmonies and ambitious piano accompaniment. Unlike the other two mélodies, the "young woman" in this song appears to be searching for something, indicated not only in the poetry, but also through the harmonic instability and unresolved lyrical arches through the piece. Yet through this feeling of unrest, the poetry of Paul Verlaine also weaves in imagery of nature along with the fantastical, comparing the soul to a landscape, melodies intertwining with light of the moon, birds dreaming in the trees, and fountains sobbing in ecstasy. Overall, these three pieces play with different kinds of love-the love of concern for a friend, the bloom of romantic love, and the contemplation of love and happiness in the abstract. The piece that closes the first act is the famous "Flower Duet" from Lakmé by Léo Delibes. The scene is between Lakmé, a young Indian woman, daughter of the high priest of her village, and her servant Malika. Lakmé expresses her desire to go to the beautiful, sacred spot by the river and Malika replies that this is the time of day when she finally is able to see into the heart of the normally closed-off Lakmé. They then describe the beauty of this place, filled with jasmine and roses, singing birds, and running waters. Later, Lakmé confesses that she is terrified for the safety of her father, and Malika soothes her by speaking of the snow-white swans which inhabit the river to where they are heading. Musically, their awe and ecstasy at experiencing this beauty is expressed through soaring melodic arches and the consistent major-mode third based harmony between the two women. Ultimately in this piece, the beauty of nature and peace of mind are thus equated equally, and the love of natural beauty is what bonds the two women, motivating them to sing together in harmony. The next set includes three German lieder by Joseph Marx, Hugo Wolf, and Richard Strauss. In "Der beschidene Schäffer" composed by Marx with the poetry by Christian Felix Weisse, the "young woman" tells of a young shepherd who loves her very much but is too shy to be alone with her. In this piece, the frustration and angst of young love is highlighted by Marx's clashing harmonies, off-beat dotted rhythms, and the tension in build-ups of melodic lines to high notes. In the next piece, "Auch kleine Dinge," by Wolf expresses disproportionate joy that can come from little things, regardless of size. The anonymous poet begins by using the example of pearls, then olives, and finally the beauty of the rose, which all are small but loved nonetheless. Marx adds to the poetry by mirroring the dainty subjects in the text by musically "tip-toeing" with a repeated descending series of neighbor tones in the right hand of the piano. Finally, "Ständchen" by Strauss is from the perspective of a young man hoping to have his beloved sneak out of her parent's home and come enjoy the beauty of the night with him. While the narrative thread of the recital is from the perspective of a young woman, this piece is a momentary reversal of perspectives; instead of telling the story from her perspective, the "young woman" experiences this different perspective as though watching a film. The poetry, by Adolph Friedrich von Schack, is full of imagery describing the beauty of nature and love, finally combining the two at the end of the text: "und die rose, wenn sie am Morgen erwacht,/ Hoch glühn von den Wonnenschauern der Nacht" ("and the rose, when she in morning awakes, glows most beautifully from the wonders of the night.") Strauss sets this climactic moment after a period of harmonic and melodic flux, climaxing into a high B-flat on "Hoch glühn," highlighting the combination of the imagery of romance and natural beauty. The set of English language art songs features three pieces from Six Songs for High Voice by Ned Rorem, an American 20th century composer. The first piece, "Pippa's song," poetry by Robert Browning, is an elation of beauty of nature and the peace and satisfaction that is found therein. Rorem sets the piece so that it builds by going higher and higher with each phrase of the text, finally climaxing both melodically and harmonically with a high-D above high C on "all's right with the world." The next, piece "Cradle Song," is, though different in style, similar in effect to the elation of Bach cantata 51, in that the "young woman" expresses her passion and dedication to worshiping the baby Jesus through her coloratura and steady, rocking pulse of the six-eight meter. Lastly, "In a Gondola," also with text by Robert Browning, expresses the "young women's" first foray into sexual intimacy. The expressions of physical intimacy are all delicately expressed through flower imagery: for example, the "young woman" compares her body to a flower being kissed by a moth, and later stung by a bee. Rorem indicates the tentative nature of this experience by the shifting chords that change each beat and illustrates the rise and fall of sexual tension through the rise and fall of the melodic line, each phrase rising and falling, but also rising higher as the piece goes on, until the last phrase sinks back down as the poetry talks of falling asleep. Finally, the recital concludes with the aria "Je suis Titania" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon. In the context of the aria, the actress Philline sings this aria after performing Titania in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, boasting of her acting prowess and demonstrating her vocal ability. In the context of the narrative arc of the recital, this represents the final transformation of love for the "young woman:" the self-love that comes from self-confidence, which Thomas musically demonstrates through the extensive (and almost excessive) coloratura. Overall, the narrative arc of this recital is shown to be of a young woman, at first innocent and naive, to a more experienced girl becoming a woman, who is stronger and surer of herself. She starts as a naïve girl from church, exulting only in what she has been taught, to experiencing her own realities through exploring love and nature. With the final set, she moves even more profoundly into her experiences of nature, God, and love, and with the final aria, shows that she has been transformed into her own person who can become and do anything.