Composer

:

Ned Rorem

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song: Art Song

Compose Date

:

1957

Average_duration

:

2:23

'Such beauty as hurts to behold' is a song cycle composed by Ned Rorem in 2001. The work was premiered on March 3, 2002, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, with soprano Renée Fleming and pianist Hartmut Höll. The cycle consists of five movements, each setting a poem by a different author. The first movement, "O you whom I often and silently come," sets a poem by Walt Whitman and features a flowing, lyrical melody that builds to a climactic high note. The second movement, "The Nightingale," sets a poem by Thomas Hardy and is characterized by its delicate, fluttering piano accompaniment and soaring vocal lines. The third movement, "The Rose Family," sets a poem by Robert Frost and features a playful, syncopated rhythm and a jaunty melody. The fourth movement, "The Wind Sings Welcome in Early Spring," sets a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay and is marked by its gentle, lilting melody and evocative piano accompaniment. The final movement, "Such Beauty As Hurts to Behold," sets a poem by James Joyce and is the most dramatic and intense of the cycle, with a soaring vocal line and a turbulent, stormy piano accompaniment. Overall, 'Such beauty as hurts to behold' is characterized by Rorem's lush, expressive harmonies and his ability to capture the emotional essence of each poem. The cycle showcases Rorem's skill as a composer of art songs and his ability to create music that is both beautiful and deeply affecting.

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