Composer

:

Libby Larsen

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

20:36

Movement_count

:

6

Movement ....

Libby Larsen's "Sonnets From the Portuguese (6)" is a song cycle composed in 1998. The premiere of the work was given by soprano Dawn Upshaw and pianist Margo Garrett at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts on August 9, 1998. The cycle consists of six songs, each based on a sonnet from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's collection "Sonnets From the Portuguese." The first movement, "How Do I Love Thee," is a tender and lyrical setting of Browning's famous sonnet. Larsen's music captures the poem's sense of wonder and awe at the depth of the speaker's love. The second movement, "When Our Two Souls," is a more passionate and dramatic setting, with a driving piano accompaniment and soaring vocal lines. The third movement, "I Love Thee To The Depth," is a slower and more introspective setting, with a hauntingly beautiful melody and delicate piano accompaniment. The fourth movement, "I Love Thee With A Love," is a lively and playful setting, with a bouncy piano accompaniment and a sense of joy and exuberance. The fifth movement, "I Love Thee With The Breath," is a more contemplative setting, with a gentle and flowing melody and a sense of quiet devotion. The final movement, "I Love Thee With The Passion," is a powerful and dramatic setting, with a driving piano accompaniment and soaring vocal lines that build to a thrilling climax. Throughout the cycle, Larsen's music captures the emotional depth and intensity of Browning's poetry, with a rich and expressive harmonic language and a keen sense of drama and pacing. The cycle is a tour de force for the soprano voice, with demanding vocal lines that require both technical virtuosity and emotional depth. Overall, "Sonnets From the Portuguese (6)" is a stunning work that showcases Larsen's skill as a composer and her deep understanding of the power of poetry and music to move and inspire.

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