Track Listing

1. Simple Songs: (Hildegard von Bingen)
2. Simple Songs: Psalm 1
3. Simple Songs: (Ryokan)
4. Simple Songs: (Rumi)
5. Simple Songs: Psalm 131
6. Valentines: Valentine
7. Valentines: Miles Away
8. Valentines: Mrs. Midas
9. Valentines: Who Loves You
10. Songs of Innocents, Book One: Introduction: Scene from Childhood
11. Songs of Innocents, Book One: A Good Boy
12. Songs of Innocents, Book One: Mornings Innocent
13. Songs of Innocents, Book One: Bunches of Grapes
14. Songs of Innocents, Book One: Table Rules for Little Folks
15. Song of Innocents, Book Two: John, Tom and James
16. Song of Innocents, Book Two: There was a Naughty Boy
17. Song of Innocents, Book Two: Painting the Gate
18. Song of Innocents, Book Two: Lullaby
19. Song of Innocents, Book Two: Tumbling

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #338356 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-23
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Song is alchemy, a transformation of words through music that at its best creates a new form greater than the sum of its parts. An art song composer must have a variety of gifts: the ability to recognize and be inspired by memorable lyrics; the talent to evoke a mood or a specific sound through music; an intimate knowledge of the voice; and sensitivity to the rhythms of speech and prosody. When successful, the art song creates an inner world that tells us more than the text or music alone could convey.

The song cycles on this album make a compelling case for Aaron Jay Kernis as one of today's most gifted song composers. More than simply a collection of individual songs, each of these cycles presents an integrated narrative arc that leaves one with the satisfied feeling of having traveled away and back. This is musical and structural magic of the highest order.

Another attribute we require of contemporary composers is an original musical language--an individual compositional voice. With all the isms available to composers today (from minimalism to tonalism to totalism), much new music sounds derivative. Kernis's music however, while it draws from a variety of techniques and suggests affinities, always remains original, taking the best of what has come before and making it new.

About the Artist
Aaron Jay Kernis, winner of the coveted 2002 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and one of the youngest composers ever to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, is among the most esteemed musical figures of his generation. His music figures prominently on orchestral, chamber, and recital programs around the world and been commissioned by many of America`s foremost performing artists, including soprano Renee Fleming, violinists Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, guitarist Sharon Isbin, and by institutions including the New York Philharmonic (for its 150th Anniversary), American Public Radio, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Proms, and the Minnesota, Philadelphia (for the opening of the Kimmel Center), Los Angeles Chamber and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras, the Walt Disney Company, Aspen Music Festival, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Rose Center for Earth and Space at the Museum of Natural History in New York, amongst many others. Recent commissions include Newly Drawn Sky for James Conlon`s first season as Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby for the opening of the new San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Two Movements (with Bells) for violinist James Ehnes. He looks forward to works for the Seattle Symphony and vocal group musica intima; a trumpet concerto for Philip Smith, the New York Philharmonic and consortium of 10 college bands; and for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. His music is available on Nonesuch, Phoenix, New Albion, Virgin, Argo, Cedille and CRI.

Since 1998, he has served as New Music Advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and is currently on the faculty at Yale University. Aaron Jay Kernis was born in Philadelphia on January 15, 1960. Grammy Award winning soprano Susan Narucki has been hailed in the world's major concert halls by colleagues, critics, and audiences for her commanding and evocative performances of both new and more familiar works. Recent appearances include performances with Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, John Adams and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Schoenberg and Asko Ensembles on Great Performers at Lincoln Center, at the Netherlands Opera.

A distinguished chamber musician, Ms. Narucki has been a recent guest with the Orion String Quartet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, most recently with pianist Joseph Kalichstein.

Nominated in the Best Classical Vocal Performance category for a 2002 Grammy (Carter: Tempo e Tempi), her extensive discography reflects the exceptional range of her activities.

Current season highlights include appearances with the Met Chamber Ensembles at Carnegie's Zankel Hall, members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, at the Budapest Autumn Festival in James Dillon's new opera, with the Sonoma City Opera in the world premiere and recording of Libby Larsen`s new opera and in recital at Yale with Boris Berman. Forthcoming recordings include a disc of Libby Larsen's for soprano and string quartet for Koch International.