Graduate voice recital

This graduate voice recital is largely made up of songs composed during the Romantic and Contemporary eras. Despite its narrow historical span, the recital's program covers a broad range of emotion, musicality, and varying ethnic influences. From a gondola race in Venice, to a Hebrew prayer for the dead, these songs explore the limitless possibilities for musical expression. Song cycles by Rossini, Obradors, and Brahms depict the tumultuous feelings of love, while songs by Ravel and Bowles explore the pain and ecstasy of spiritual commitment. Ultimately, these songs demonstrate the potential for emotional release, by uniting music and words. Although primarily known as an opera composer, Gioacchino Rossini also composed many art songs, chiefly after the end of his opera career in 1829. His experience in writing for operatic voices carried over to his song composition, and is readily apparent in his cycle, La regata veneziana. Published in 1857, this group of three songs depicts a Venetian boat race. Operatic influences are abundant, both in the virtuosic writing for voice, as well as in the drama and characterization throughout. Each song takes place at a different stage in the race, and told from the point of view of a passionate onlooker, Anzoleta, whose lover is in the race. Since the piano accompaniment is made up entirely of broken-chords, the vocal line creates the musicality and drama of each piece. While the piano sets the pace of each song, it is the vocal line that reveals the character's thoughts throughout. Fernando Obradors, born in Barcelona, lived from 1897 to 1945, and is well known for his Canciones clasicas espanolas (Classical Spanish Songs). Published in four volumes, the songs are influenced by Spanish folk song and are neoclassic in style. This combination of folk melody and classical composition results in songs that are simple, yet eloquent in their expression of love. Although there are deep feelings conveyed in the text, Obradors' songs are gentle, rather than impassioned. For example, in "Del cabello mas sutil," the long, legato melodic lines over arpeggios in the piano accompaniment describe a love that is genuine, yet calm and almost restrained. (See more in text.)