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Simón Faddoul, bass-baritone Sky Lee, piano John Micah Braswell, piano Master of Music Recital Saturday, May 8, 2021 2:00 p.m. University of Southern California In partial fulfillment of the Master of Music in Vocal Arts and Opera Simón is a student of Professor Rod Gilfry Program Maurice Ravel Selections from Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1875-1937) Chanson Romanesque Chanson épique Chanson à boire Gerald Finzi Selections from Let Us Garlands Bring (1901–1956) Come Away Death Who Is Sylvia? O Mistress Mine Carl Loewe Du Ring an meinem Finger (1796–1869) Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben Edward Op.1 No.1 Stefano Donaudy O del mio amato ben (1879–1925) Sento nel core Perduta ho la speranza Arthur Sullivan O Better Far to Live and Die (1842-1900) from The Pirates of Penzance A More Humane Mikado from The Mikado Selections from Four Seasons Recital in Collaboration with J.M.Braswell Roger Quilter To Daisies (1877-1953) Johannes Brahms Sonntag (1833-1897) Franz Schubert Wasserflut (1797-1828) Henri Duparc Testament (1848-1933) Nicolas Benavides I Can Smell My Old Life from Pepito (b. 1987) Chanson romanesque Si vous me disiez que la terre Were you to tell me that the earth À tant tourner nous offensa, Offended you with so much turning Je lui dépêcharais Pança: I’d dispatch Panza to deal with it: Vous la verriez fixe et se taire. You’d see it still and silenced. Si vous me disiez que l’ennui Were you to tell me that you were wearied Vous vient du ciel trop fleuri d’astres, By a sky too studded with stars- Déchirant les divins cadastres Tearing the divine order asunder, Je faucherais d’un coup la nuit. I’d scythe the night with a single blow. Si vous me disiez que l'espace Were you to tell me that space itself, Ainsi vidé vous plaît point, Thus denuded was not to your taste - Chevalier dieu, la lance au poing. As a god-like knight, with lance in hand, J’étoilerais le vent qui passe. I’d sow the fleeting wind with stars. Mais si vous disiez que mon sang But were you to tell me that my blood Est plus à moi qu’à vous, ma Dame, Is more mine, my lady, than your own, Je blêmirais dessous le blâme I’d pale at the admonishment Et je mourrais, vous bénissant. And, blessing you, would die O Dulcinée. O Dulcinea. Chanson épique Bon Saint Michel qui me donnez loisir Good Saint Micheal who gives me leave De voir ma Dame et de l’entendre, To behold and hear my Lady, Bon Saint Michel qui me daignez choisir Good Saint Michael who deigns to elect me Pour lui complaire et la défendre, To please and defend her. Bon saint Michel veuillez descendre Good Saint Michael, descend, I pray, Avec Saint Georges sur l’autel, With Saint George onto the altar De la Madone au bleu mantel. Of the Madonna robed in blue. D’un rayon du ciel bénissez ma lame With a heavenly beam bless my blade, Et son égale en pureté, And its equal in purity Et son égale en piété And its equal in piety, Comme en pudeur et chasteté: As in modesty and chastity. Ma Dame. My Lady. (O grand Saint Georges et Saint Michel) (O great saint George and Saint Michael) L’ange qui veille sur ma veille, Bless the angel watching over my vigil, Ma douce Dame si pareille My sweet Lady, so like unto Thee, À Vous, Madone au bleu mantel! O Madonna robed in blue! Amen. Amen. Chanson a boire Foin du bâtard, illustre Dame, A pox on the bastard, illustrious Lady, Qui pour me perdre à vos doux yeux Who to discredit me in your sweet eyes, Dit que l’amour et le vin vieux: Says that love and old wine Mettent en deuil mon cœur, mon âme! Are saddening my heart and soul! Je bois I drink À la joie! To joy! La joie est le seul but Joy is the only goal Où je vais droit... lorsque j’ai bu! To which I go straight.. when I’m.. drunk! Foin du jaloux, brune maîtresse, A pox on the jealous wretch, mistress dark Qui geint, qui pleure et fait serment Who whines and weeps and vows D’être toujours ce pâle amant. Always to be this lily-livered lover Qui met de l’eau dans son ivresse. Who dilutes his drunkenness! Je bois I drink À la joie! To joy! La joie est le seul but Joy is the only goal Où je vais droit... lorsque j’ai bu! To which I go straight.. when I’m.. dunk! Come Away, Death Come away, come away death, And in sad cypress let me be laid; Fly away, fly away, breathe; I am slain by a fair cruel maid. My shroud of white, stuck all with yew, O prepare it! My part of death, no one so true Did share it. Not a flower, not a flower sweet, On my black coffin let there be strown; Not a friend, not a friend greet My poor corpse where my bones shall be thrown: A thousand, thousand sighs to save, Lay me, O where Sad true lover never find my grave, To weep there! Who is Sylvia? Who is Sylvia? What is she, That all our swains commend her? Holy fair and wise is she; That heavens such grace did lend her, That she might admired be Is she kind as she is fair? For beauty lives with kindness Love doth to her eyes repair, To help him of his blindness, And, being helped, inhabits there. Then to Sylvia, let us sing, That Sylvia is excelling; She excels each mortal thing Upon the dull earth dwelling; To her let us garlands bring O Mistress Mine O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear; your true love’s coming, That can singing both high and low; Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lover’s meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know What is love? ‘tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty; Youth’s a stuff will not endure Du Ring an meinem Finger Du Ring an meinem Finger, You ring on my finger, mein goldenes Ringelein My golden little ring, ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen, I press you devoutly to my lips, dich fromm an das Herze mein. To my heart. Ich hatt’ ihn ausgeträumet, I had finished dreaming der Kindheit friedlichen Traum, Childhood’s peaceful dream, ich fand allein mich, verloren I found myself alone, forlorn im öden, unendlichen Raum. In boundless desolation. Du Ring an meinem Finger You ring on my finger, da hast du mich erst belehrt, You first taught me, hast meinem Blick erschlossen Open my eyes des Lebens unendlichen, Wert. To life’s deep eternal worth. Ich will ihm dienen, ihm leben, I shall serve him, live for him, ihm angehören ganz, Belong to him wholly, hin selber mich geben und finden Yield to him and find verklärt mich in seinem Glanz. Myself transfigured in his light. Du Ring an meinem Finger, You ring on my finger, mein goldenes Ringelein My ring little ring, ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen, I press you devoutly to my lips, dich fromm an das Herze mein. To my heart. Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben, I cannot grasp it, believe it, es hat mich ein Traum berückt; A dream has beguiled me; wie hätt er doch unter allen, How, from all women, could he mich Arme erhöht und beglückt? Have exalted and favoured poor me? mir war’s er habe gesprochen:, He said, I thought “Ich bin auf ewig dein”, “I am yours forever”, mir war’s ich träume noch immer, I was, I thought, still dreaming, es kann ja nimmer so sein. After all, it can never be. O lass im Träume mich sterben O let me, dreaming, die gewieget an seiner Brust, Cradled on his breast; den seligsten Tod mich schlürfen let me savour blissful death in Tränen unendlicher Lust. In tears of endless joy Edward Op.1 No.1 Dein Schwert wie ist’s von Blut so rot? Your sword, why is it so red with blood? Edward, Edward! Edward, Edward! dein Schwert wie ist’s von Blut so rot, Your sword, why is it so red with blood, und Gehst so traurig da? O! And why do you walk so sadly? O! Ich hab’ geschlagen meinen Geier tot, I have struck my hawk dead, Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Ich hab’ geschlagen meinen Geier tot, I have struck my hawk dead, und das, das geht mir nah. O! And that has touched my heart. O! Deines Geiers Blut ist nicht so rot Your hawk’s blood is not so red, Edward, Edward! Edward, Edward! Deines Geiers Blut ist nicht so rot, Your hawk’s blood is not so red, mein Sohn, bekenn mir frei. O! My son, confess to me freely. O! Ich hab geschlagen mein Rotross tot, I have struck my chestnut-horse dead, Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Ich hab geschlagen mein Rotross tot, I have struck my chestnut-horse dead, und’s war so stolz und treu. O! And it was so proud and true. O! Dein Ross war alt und hast’s nicht not, Your horse was old and you have no need Edward, Edward! of it Dein Ross war alt und hast’s nicht not, Edward, Edward! dich drückt ein anderer Schmerz. O! Your horse was old and you have no need of it Some other thing troubles you. O! Ich hab geschlagen meinen Vater tot! I have stuck my father dead! Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Ich hab geschlagen meinen Vater tot! I have struck my father dead, und das, das quält mein Herz! O! And that, that torments my heart! O! Und was wirst du nun an dir tun, And what will you now do to yourself, Edward, Edward? Edward, Edward? Und was wirst du nun an dir tun, And what will you do to yourself now, mein Sohn, das sage mir! O! My son, tell me that! O! Auf Erden soll mein Fuẞ nicht ruhn! My foot shall not rest on the Earth! Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Auf Erden soll mein Fuẞ nicht ruhn! My foot shall not rest on the Earth! Will wandern übers Meer! O! I will go far across the sea! O! Und was soll werden dein Hof und And what will you do with your lands & Hall, hall, Edward, Edward? Edward, Edward? Und was soll werden dein Hof und And what will you do with your lands & Hall, hall, So herrlich sonst, so schön? O! So magnificent until now, so beautiful? O! Ach immer steh’s und sink und fall! Ah, may it stand forever and sink and fall! Mutter, Mutter! Mutter, Mutter! Ach immer steh’s und sink und fall! Ah, may iot stand forever and sink and fall! Ich werd es nimmer seh’n! O! I will never see it again! O! Und was soll werden aus Weib und And what will come of your wife and child? Kind, Edward, Edward? Edward, Edward? Und was soll werden aus Weib und And what will come of your wife and child, Kind, When you go far across the sea? O! Wann du gehst übers Meer? O! Die Welt ist groẞ, lass sie betteln drin, The world is large, let them go beg in it, Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Die Welt ist groẞ, lass sie betteln drin, The world is large, let them go beg in it, ich seh’ sie nimmermehr! O! I shall see them nevermore! O! Und was soll deine Mutter tun, And what shall your mother do, Edward, Edward? Edward. Edward? Und was soll deine Mutter tun, And what shall your mother do, mein Sohn, das sage mir? O! My son, tell me that? O! Der Fluch der Hölle soll auf euch ruhn, The curse of Hell shall rest upon you, Mutter, Mutter! Mother, Mother! Der Fluch der Hölle soll auf euch ruhn, The curse of Hell shall rest upon you, denn ihr, ihr rietet’s mir! O! For you, you advised me to do it! O! O del mio amato ben O del mio amato ben perduto incanto! Oh, lost enchantment of my dearly beloved! Lungi è dagli occhi miei Far from my eyes is she chi m’era gloria e canto! Who was, to me, me glory and pride! Or per le mute stanze; Now through the empty rooms sempre la cerco e chiamo I always seek (her) him and call (her) him con pieno il cor di speranze... With a heart full of hopes... Ma cerco invan, chiamo invan! But I seek in vain, I call in vain! E il pianger m’ è sì caro, And the weeping is so dear to me, che di pianto sol nutro il cor. That with weeping alone I nourish my heart. Mi sembra, senza lei, triste ogni loco. It seems to me, without her, sad everywhere. Notte mi sembra il giorno; The day seems like night to me; mi sembra gelo il foco the fire seems cold to me. se pur talvolta spero If however, I sometimes hope di darmi ad altra cura, to give myself to another concern, sol mi tormenta un pensiero: one thought alone torments me: ma, senza lei, che farò; But without her, what shall I do? Mi par così la vita vana cosa, To me, life seems a vain thing senza il mio ben without my beloved. Sento nel core Sento nel core certo dolore, I feel in my heart a certain sorrow che la mia pace turbando va. Which goes on disturbing my peace. Splende una face che l’alma accende; There shines a torch which inflames my soul; se non è amore, amor sarà! If it is not love, it will be become love. Perduta ho la speranza Perduta ho la speranza in voi mirare, I have lost hope of seeing you you, e di speranza sola nutrivo il core! And by hope alone did I nourish my heart! Ahimè! Ah! Come faro, se per amare, Ah me! Ah me! Oh, what shall I do if in love la fede ho già smarrita, I have really lost faith, la fede nell’amore? faith in love? Perduta ho la speranza in voi mirare, I have lost hope in looking at you, E di speranza sola nutrivo il core. And by hope alone did I nourish my heart! Oh Better Far to Live and Die Oh better far to live and die Under the brave black flag I fly, Than play a sanctimonious part, With a pirate head and a pirate heart Away to the cheating world go you, Where pirates all are well to do, But I’ll stay true to the song I sing, And live and die a Pirate King For I am a Pirate King! And it is, it is a glorious thing To be a Pirate King. Horrah for the Pirate King! When I sally forth to seek my prey I help myself in a royal way; I sink a few more ships, it’s true, Than a well-bred monarch ought to do! Well many a king on a first-class throne, If he wants to call his crown his own, Must manage somehow to get through, More dirty work than e’re I do. For I am a Pirate King! And it is, it is a glorious thing To be a Pirate King. Horrah for the Pirate King! A More Humane Mikado A more humane Mikado Never did in Japan exist, To nobody second, I’m certainly reckoned A true philanthropist. It is my very humane endeavour To make to some extent, Each evil liver, a running river Of harmless Merriment My Object all sublime I shall achieve in time To let the punishment fit the crime- The punishment fit the crime, And make each prisoner pent Unwillingly represent, A source of innocent merriment! Of innocent merriment. All prosy dull society sinners, Who chatter and bleat and bore, Are sent to hear sermons From mystical Germans Who preach from ten till four. The amateur tenor, whose vocal villainies All desire to shirk Shall, during off hours, exhibit his powers To Madame Tussaud’s waxwork. The lady who dyes a chemical yellow Or stain her grey hair puce, Or pinches her finger Is painted with vigor, And permanent walnut juice The idiot who in railway carriages Scribbles on window panes, Shall only suffer to ride on a buffer, In Parliamentary trains. My Object all sublime I shall achieve in time To let the punishment fit the crime- The punishment fit the crime, And make each prisoner pent Unwillingly represent, A source of innocent merriment! Of innocent merriment. The advertising quack who wearies With tales of countless cures, His teeth, I’ve enacted, Shall all be extracted By terrified amateurs. The music-hall singer attends a series Of masses and figures, and “ops” By Bach interwoven with Spohr and Beethoven And classical Monday Pops! The billiard sharp whom anyone catches, His doom’s extremely hard- Is made to dwell- In a dungeon cell, On a spot that’s always barred. And there he’ll play extravagant matches In fitless finger stalls On a cloth untrue, with a twisted cue, And elliptical billiard balls! My Object all sublime I shall achieve in time To let the punishment fit the crime- The punishment fit the crime, And make each prisoner pent Unwillingly represent, A source of innocent merriment! Of innocent merriment. To Daisies Shut not so soon; the dull-eyed night Has not as yet begun To make a seizure on the light, Or to seal up the sun. No marigolds yet closed are, No shadows great appear; Nor doth the early shepherd’s star Shine like a spangle here. Stay but till my Julia close Her life-begetting eye, And let the whole world then dispose Itself to live or die. Sonntag So hab’ ich doch die ganze Woche For a whole week now Mein feines Liebchen nicht geseh’n, I haven’t seen my love; Ich sah es an einem Sonntag I saw her on a Sunday, Wohl vor der Türe steh’n: standing at her door: Das tausendschöne Jungfräulein, my loveliest girl, Das tausendschöne Herzelein, my loveliest sweet, Wollte Gott, wollte Gott, ich wär heute bei ihr! Would God I were with her today! So will mir doch die ganze Woche Yet I’ll still be able Das lachen nicht vergeh’n, to laugh all week; Ich sah es an einem Sonntag I saw her on a Sunday, Wohl in die Kirche geh’n; as she went to church: Das tausendschöne Jungfräulein, my loveliest girl, Das tausendschöne Herzelein, my loveliest sweet, Wollte Gott, wollte Gott, ich wär heute bei ihr! Would God I were with her today! Wasserflut Manche Trän aus meinen Augen Many a tear has fallen Ist gefallen in den Schnee: from my eyes into the snow; Seine kalten Flocken saugen, its cold flakes eagerly suck in Durstig ein das heisse Weh. My burning grief. Wenn die Gräser sprossen wollen, When the grass is about to sprout, Weht daher ein lauer Wind, a mild breeze blows; Und das Eis zerspringt in Schollen, The ice breaks up into pieces Und der weiche Schnee zerrinnt. and the soft snow melts away. Schnee, du weisst von meinem Sehnen; Snow, you know of my longing: Sag’, wohin doch geht dein Lauf? Tell me, where does your path lead? Folge nach nur meinen Tränen, If you but follow my tears Nimmt dich bald das Bächlein auf. The brook will soon absorb you. Wirst mit ihm die Stadt durchziehen, With it you will flow through the town, Munt’re Strassen ein und aus; in and out of bustling streets; Fühlst du meine Tränen glühen, when you feel my tears glow, Da ist meiner Liebsten Haus there will be my sweetheart’s house. Testament Pour que le vent te les apporte That the wind might bear them to you Sur l’aile noire d’un remord, On the black wing of remorse, J'écrirai sur la feuille morte I shall inscribe on the dead leaf Les tortures de mon cœur mort! The torments of my dead heart! Toute ma sève s’est tarie All my strength has drained away Riens de midis de ta beauté, In the bright noon of your beauty, Et, comme à la feuille flétrie, And, like the withered leaf, Rien de vivant ne m’est resté Nothing living is left for me. Tes yeux m’ont brûlé jusqu’à l’âme,; Your eyes have scorched me to the soul Comme des soleils sans merci! Like suns devoid of mercy! Feuille que le gouffre réclame, The chasm will claim the leaf, L’autan va m’emporter aussi….. The south wind sweep me away... Mais avant, pour qu’il te les porte But first, that it might bear them to you Sur l’aile noire d’un remord, On the black wing of remorse J’écrirai sur la feuille morte I shall inscribe on the dead leaf, Les tortures de mon cœur mort!? The torments of my dead heart! I Can Smell My Old Life Woof Woof! Hmmm. Hmm… Some days, I can smell my old life. All those roses Papa brought for Mama And Abuelas Tamales! And the grrrruuf! Sweaty-grrufff ruff? Mailman?? Grrrrrr. I can smell my old life! Where is it now??? Ah-oo! My mouth waters! Sniff sniff! Smoke mixed with carnitas! Oh some days I can smell my old life! Ah oo! I Smell… Money?... and… Sadness.. Maurice Ravel Maurice Ravel was one of the most influential impressionist composers of his time. He is often associated with this movement along with Claude Debussy, even though both composers rejected this term. During the 1920s and 1930’s, Ravel was internationally regarded as France’s greatest living composer. Ravel attended France’s premier music college, The Paris Conservatoire. Even without much support from the conservative structure of the college, Ravel persevered as a composer. Once he left school he created his identity by incorporating elements of modernism, baroque, neoclassicism, and jazz. Ravel was a slow and painstaking worker who composed many fewer pieces than his contemporaries. Included in his output are pieces for piano, chamber music, two piano concertos, ballet music, two operas, and eight song cycles. Among his song cycles is his work Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, which was based on the story of Don Quixote. It was first composed for voice and piano in 1932 but later orchestrated in 1933. The songs of this cycle are traditionally performed by a baritone or bass-baritone. The cycle consists of three songs:: Chanson Romanesque, Chanson épique, and Chanson a boire. For the lusty opening Chanson Romanesque, Ravel chose the quajira dance-pattern, exploiting the quirks of its alternating 6/8 and ¾ meters for word painting, which is sometimes garnished with clashing dissonance in the ¾. The sensual energy turns the tonality to major as Quichotte reflects on the love of his Dulcinée. Chanson épique employs parallel harmonies to create the atmosphere of medieval Christian liturgy. In the Chanson a boire, a tipsy Quichotte revels in flamenco, vocalizing and unleashing peals of laughter as the keyboard flourishes represent the bubbling of sparkling wine. Gerald Finzi Gerald Finzi was a British composer. Finizi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata, Dies Natalis for solo voice and string orchestra, and his concertos for cello and clarinet. Finzi became one of the most characteristically “English” composers of his generation. Despite being an agnostic of Jewish descent, several of his choral works incorporate Christian texts. Finzi’s song cycle, Let Us Garlands Bring for baritone and piano was composed between 1929 and 1942 and was published as his Op. 18. It consists of songs from plays by William Shakespeare. It premiered on October 12th, 1942 at a National Gallery lunchtime concert in London. Coincidently, that day was the 70th birthday of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the cycle was dedicated to him. Finzi subsequently arranged the work for baritone and string orchestra. Come Away Death features text from Twelfth Night¸ Act II, Scene 4 and comments on the acceptance of death and the preparations which may come along with it. Who is Sylvia? Features text from The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act IV, Scene 2 and celebrates the beautiful dame Sylvia while quoting the name of the song cycle proper. O Mistress Mine features text from Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene 3 and comments on the beauty of a mistress and the pleasantries she brings. Carl Loewe Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe, usually called Carl Loewe, was a German composer, tenor singer, and conductor. In his lifetime, his songs (Lieder) were known well enough for some to call him the “Schubert of North Germany”, and Hugo Wolf came to admire his work. He is less known today, but his ballads and songs, which number over 400, are occasionally performed. Loewe wrote five operas, of which only one, Die drei Wünsche, was ever performed, in Berlin in 1834, and sadly without much success. He then wrote seventeen oratorios, choral ballads, cantatas, and three string quartets. He is best known for his solo ballads with piano. His treatment of long narrative poems, in a clever mixture of dramatic and lyrical styles, was modeled on the ballads of Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, and has been copied by many composers since. Loewe set the poems of Frauen-Liebe und Leben by Adelbert von Chamisso to song. They describe the course of a woman’s love for her man from her point of view, from first meeting from marriage to his death, and after. However there have been recent interpretations that play with the genders depicted in these pieces. This poem cycle also happened to be set by Franz Lachner and Robert Schumann, which the latter is more widely known. Du Ring an Meinem Finger discusses the value of the ring and the bonds that it entails. It also touches on ideas of virtually eternal servitude for the man who is loved. Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht Glauben expresses the excitement of receiving a man’s love and doubt that such a thing could be deserved by the speaker. Edward Op.1 No.1 is a ballad setting by the text of Johann Gottfried Herder. It tells the story of a mother and a son who are gruesomely exposing the fate of all that is around them. It is a mystery of solving the motives behind the deaths of their animals and even the son’s father. Stefano Donaudy Stefano Donaudy was the son of a French father and Italian mother and was a minor Italian composer active in the 1890s and early 20th century. No biographical or musicological studies have so far been devoted to him, but it seems that Donaudy was very precocious, as a variety of sources date both his first opera Folchetto and one of his most popular songs, Vaghissima sembianza, to 1892, when he was only thirteen. Donaudy also made a living as a singing teacher, coach, and accompanist for some of Sicily’s wealthiest families while pursuing a career as a composer. To this day, Donaudy’s fame rests on his collection 36 Arie di Stile Antico. Several of its songs continue to be included in the concert repertoire singers worldwide. Among these are O del mio amato ben, Sento nel core, and Perduta ho la speranza. O del mio amato ben, is a song about being separated from a lover. The luscious lyricism of the music paints the longing to no longer be distant from the one the speaker loves most. The days feel longer as well as the nights, and even fires seem to feel cold. Sento nel core, is another song about the languish of love. The minor tonality paints a picture of sorrow being separated from a lover, then modulates to major to paint the flames of hope burning within the speaker. Perduta ho la speranza, is yet again another love ballad dealing with feeling lost. There is a lack of faith that the speaker experiences being separated from their beloved and a nourishment that is needed for their heart. Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan was an English composer. He is best known for 14 operatic collaborations with dramatist W.S. Gilbert, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. His works include 24 operas, 11 major orchestral works, ten choral works and oratorios, two ballets, incidental music to several plays, and numerous church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. His hymns and songs include Onward, Christian Soldiers and The Lost Chord. The Pirates of Penzance, is a comic opera in two acts. The opera’s official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on December 31st, 1879 and was well received by audience members and critics. The story concerns Frederic who, having turned 21, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates. In O Better Far to Live and Die, the Pirate King convinces Frederic that piracy is indeed an “honest” line of work. The Mikado is a comic opera in two acts that opened on March 14th 1885 in London, where it ran at the Savoy Theatre for 672 performances. The opera served as a satire to British politics in the cultural setting of Japan, in the town of Titipu. In A More Humane Mikado, the Mikado makes a public decree that he is adjusting the legal system to give fair treatment to those who commit crimes. He insists on every punishment fitting said crime while providing numerous humorous examples along the way. Roger Quilter Roger Quilter was a British composer who was known particularly for his art songs. Quilter’s output of songs, more than 100 in total, added to the canon of English art song that is still sung today. His style was “indisputably English” despite his German training. Shakespeare, Herrick, and Shelley were his favored poets. His work To Daisies featured the work of Robert Herrick from his poem set To Julia. In this lush lyric number, the speaker talks about bending the will of the entire world for his sweet love Julia. Not only the world, but the light, the sun, and the stars would bend to his will for her. Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms was a German Romantic master composer of many different kinds of musical ensembles, but he excelled in composing art songs, or lieder, for voice and piano. He never chose to conquer the enormous task of composing an opera; instead, he focused on the pairing of text and melody within the intimacy of voice and piano. In his piece Sonntag he expresses the perspective of a young man going to church on a Sunday. He sees a beautiful girl whom he loves very much, and prays to God that he could possibly spend many more days alongside. There is a bouncing hopefulness in the accompaniment which is also carried throughout the voice Franz Schubert Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast repertoire, including more than 600 secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music. One of his most performed song cycles, Winterreise, for voice and piano, is a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. It’s the second of Schubert’s two great song cycles on his poems, the earlier being Die schöne Müllerin. Both were originally written for tenor voice but are frequently transposed to other vocal ranges, a precedent set by Schubert himself. The two works pose interpretative demands on listeners and performers due to their scale and structural coherence. Wasserflut speaks about the coldness of wintertime and how the weather can slowly suck up the tears. It also talks of how when the warm wind blows ice shall melt away into a new coming season. Henri Duparc Eugène Marie Henri Fouques Duparc was a French composer of the late Romantic period. He was diagnosed with a mental illness known as neurasthenia which caused him to abruptly stop composing at the age of 37. Before that time he was most known for composing his 17 mélodies, art songs with texts by poets such as Baudelaire, Gautier, Leconte de Lisle, and Goethe. His piece, Testament, was written in 1883 with text by Paul Armand Silvestre for voice and piano. This piece discusses the piercing heat that the speaker feels when the lover stares into them. It is full of passion and a vast dissonance in the piano accompaniment. Nicolas Benavides Composer Nicolas Benavides’ music has been praised for finding “a way to sketch complete characters in swift sure lines and cooking up a jaunty score with touches of cabaret, musical theatre, and Latin dance”. The USC graduate has worked with groups such as the Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, West Edge Opera, Nashville Opera, Shreveport Opera, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Friction Quarter, and Nomad Session. He was a fellow at the Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. He premiered a new opera for Washington National Opera called Pepito with librettist Marella Martin Koch. He and Marella will premiere a new opera, Tres Minutos, with Music of Remembrance in 2022. Pepito tells the story of an older dog who has been long separated from his owners and has been stuck in the pound for several years. A hurting marriage is then soon to be healed by his gracious presence and acquisition of the Spanish language. In I Can Smell My Old Life, Pepito longs for the days of old with his original owner but has hope for a new story on the horizon. END OF PROGRAM A special thank you to all my amazing teachers, mentors, and colleagues at USC. My family, specifically my sister, Kristiana Faddoul, for assisting me during my filming process. All my friends who were able to tune into this recital either now or later. Last but not least, my amazing teacher Professor Rod Gilfry. Feel free to stay for any needed post recital discussion. Again, thank you for coming!