Program Notes

“Sebben sente” from Ercole su’l Termodonte by Antonio Vivaldi (1687-1741)

Full of playful rhythms Sebben Sente, by Antonio Vivaldi, is one of thirty recovered arias from the opera
Ercole su’l Termodonte. The opera, set in Thermodon, depicts the twelve labors performed by Hercules to
atone for killing his children and his war with the Amazon women. Sebben Sente expresses the forbidden
love that Martesia holds for the prisoner, Theseus, prince of Athens. She sings with wanting passion and
taboo love for the evil that is men. Vivaldi captures the imagery of the butterfly through complex rhythms
and dramatic textures.
Sebben sente ardir le piume Even when it feels its feathers burning
Pur non sa mai fuggir la quella face, The enamored butterfly
No, non sa l’amorosa farfalletta, Is unable to escape the flame.

Vola e torna e qua e posa, It flies away and returns, it circles and is still.
Nè riposa, nè da quel lume It has no rest and has no peace
Se lontana è da quell lume If it is far from that flame
Che l’uccide e che l’alletta Which attracts her and kills her.

“Ach, ich fühl's” from Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Premiering in September of 1791, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte follows the story of Tamino and Pamina and
their struggles to escape the evil queen, complete their quest and find love along the way. In Ach, ich
fühl's Pamina is anguished that Tamino will not speak to her. However, she is unaware that Tamino is
under a vow of silence and can not speak to her at all because of it. The song features a heartstricken
piano accompaniment to a devastated vocal line which matches the momentum of the lyrics beautifully.
Ach, ich fühl’s, es ist verschwunden, Oh, I feel that it is gone,
Ewig hin mein ganzes Glück! forever gone – the happiness of love!
Nimmer kommt ihr Wonnestunde No more come the hours of joy
Meinem Herzen mehr zurück! to my heart!

Sieh’, Tamino, diese Tränen, See, Tamino, these tears

Fließen, Trauter, dir allein! flow, dearest, for you alone!
Fühlst du nicht der Liebe Sehnen, Do you not feel my love and longing?
So wird Ruh’ im Tode sein! I’ll only find peace in death!
“Heidenröslein” by Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Heidenröslein by Franz Schubert was written in 1815 and was primarily based on Pamina's and
Papageno's duet Könnte jeder brave Mann from the end of Act 1 of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. The poem,
written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1799, tells the story of a man’s rejected love for his
sweetheart, depicted as a rose. The song displays the voices of the man and his love as they discuss if she
will be taken by him and their subsequent struggle as she fights to maintain her freedom.
Sah ein Knab' ein Röslein stehn, Once a boy escaped a rose
Röslein auf der Heiden, Blooming in the meadow,
War so jung und morgenschön, Young and sweet with morning dew,
Lief er schnell es nah zu sehn, he drew near, the better to view,
Sah's mit vielen Freuden. Gazed upon t with pleasure.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
Röslein auf der Heiden. rose-bud in the meadow,

Knabe sprach: "Ich breche dich,
Röslein auf der Heiden."
Röslein sprach: "Ich steche dich,
Daß du ewig denkst an mich,
Und ich will's nicht leiden."
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,
Röslein auf der Heiden.
Said the boy, “I’ll trample you,
Rosebud in the meadow!”
Said the rose, “My thorns are few,
but their sting you’ll surely rue,
and I shall not suffer.”
Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
rose-bud in the meadow,

Und der wilde Knabe brach And this willful boy then tore
's Röslein auf der Heiden; rose-bud from the meadow,
Röslein wehrte sich und stach, But the rose-bud used her thorns,
Half ihm doch kein Weh und Ach, and although he groans and mourns,
Mußt' es eben leiden. He alone must suffer.
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot, Rose-bud, rosebud, rosebud red,
Röslein auf der Heiden. rose-bud in the meadow,

“Wanderers Gemütsruhe” by Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

The poem, Wanderers Gemütsruhe, was written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1814 and is one of
three songs Strauss creating using Gothe’s West-östlicher Diwan in 1918. The song depicts raw forces
battering a traveler and his individual struggle to continue his journey through mud and dust on vile
roads. The whirlwind heard in the piano conveys a sense of urgency that translates to a feverish desire for
the speaker to escape the evil forces of the world.
 Über's Niederträchtige About vileness
Niemand sich beklage; no one should complain;
Denn es ist das Mächtige for it is a power in itself,
Was man dir auch sage. as many may tell you.

In dem Schlechten waltet es In the maladjusted it presides,

Sich zu Hochgewinne, with the highest success,
Und mit Rechtem schaltet es and with the just, it operates
Ganz nach seinem Sinne entirely as it wishes.

Wandrer, gegen solche Not Traveler! against such misery

Wolltest du dich sträuben? will you bristle?
Wirbelwind und trocknen Kot, Whirlwind and dry excrement -
Lass sie drehn und stäuben! let them twist and raise the dust.

“Con amores, la mi madre” from Canciones clásicas españolas by Fernando Obradors

(1897-1945)
Fernando Obradors was a Spanish composer famous for his collection of vocal compositions, Canciones
clásicas españolas. Con amores, la mi madre showcases the richness of his compositions with a velvety
vocal line accompanied by an intense and rhythmic piano section. The piece dwells on the love of a
young girl and her response toward the longing she felt through speaking with her mother about her
feelings.
Con amores, la mi madre, With love, my mother,
Con amores me dormí; With love I fell asleep;
Así dormida soñaba Thus asleep, I was dreaming
Lo que el corazón velaba, That which my heart was hiding,
Que el amor me consolaba That love was consoling me
Con más bien que merecí: With more good than I deserved.

Adormeció me el favor The aid lulled me to sleep.

Que amor me dio con amor; What love gave me, with love,
Dio Descanso a mi dolor Put to bed my pain by
La fe con que le serví. The faith with which I served you.
Con amores, la mi madre, With love, my mother,
Con amores me dormí. With love I fell asleep.
“Al amor” from Canciones clásicas españolas by Fernando Obradors (1897-1945)
Al amor presents the earnest plea of a woman to her lover in a buoyant duet between the piano and vocal
lines. Full of pleasing harmonies, the piece rebounds from note to note in a playful manner that conveys
the text beautifully. A sense of mischief from the speaker can be heard throughout the interludes in the
piano sections that relay toward what the singer is portraying through the lines.
Dame, Amor, besos sin cuento Give me, Love, kisses without number,
Asido de mis cabellos as the number of hairs on my head,
Y mil y ciento tras ellos and give me a thousand and a hundred after that,
Y tras ellos mil y ciento and a hundred and a thousand after that...
Y después de muchos millares--tres! and after those many thousands, give me three more!

Y porque nadie lo sienta And so that no one feels bad...

Desbaratemos la cuenta Let us tear up the tally
Y contemos--al revés and begin counting backwards!

“Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito” from Cinco canciones negras by Xavier
Montsalvatge (1912-2002)
A Spanish composer and music critic, Xavier Montsalvatge was highly renounced for his collection of
five vocal pieces Cinco canciones negras composed in the summer of 1945. Canción de cuna para
dormir a un negrito was the first piece written and premiered in mid-May 1945. It led to the creation of
the other four pieces in the set and the subsequent mainstream popularity of Montsalvatge’s music. The
habanera rhythm in the opening measures of the piano part sets the foundation of the music and continues
throughout the piece with the voice lilting above it to sing the child to sleep.
Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe Lullay, lullay, lullay,
tan chiquito, el negrito so small, little black boy
que no quiere dormir. who does not want to sleep.

Cabeza de coco, Coconut head,

grano de café, coffee bean,
con lindas motitas, with pretty freckles,
con ojos grandotes and wide eyes
como dos ventanas like two windows
que miran al mar. that look out to sea.

Cierra esos ojitos, Close your little eyes,

negrito asustado; frightened little black boy;
el mandinga blanco the white devil
te puede comer. will no longer eat you up.
 ¡Ya no eres esclavo! You are no longer a slave!

Y si duermes mucho, And if you sleep soundly,

el señor de casa the master of the house
promete comprar promises to buy
traje con botones a suit with buttons
para ser un ‘groom.’ to make you a “groom.”

Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe, Lullay, lullay, lullay,

duérmete, negrito, sleep, little black boy,
cabeza de coco, coconut head,
grano de café. coffee bean.

“Through the Sunny Garden” from Two September Songs by Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Featuring words by Mary Coleridge, Through the Sunny Garden describes the lowlands of Scotland
looking out over the sky and hills with vibrant imagery. Roger Quilter captures this imagery extremely
well through use of rich text painting and vivid piano textures. The singer brings to life the scene with a
pointed clarity and vast imagination.

“The Valley and the Hill” from Two September Songs by Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Featuring words by Mary Coleridge, The Valley and the Hill describes the highlands of Scotland with the
sights and smells of the sea and the thick foliage. Quilter creates drama and serenity in the piece through
creative use of the dynamics, tempos and rhythmic expression between the singer and the piano. The
graphic text painting within the vocal line creates a drama within the piece unlike its counterpart and to
the benefit of the set.

“Over the Sea” a traditional Scottish Folksong arranged by Russell Robinson

The Skye boat song is an old Jacobite (Scottish) piece about Bonnie Prince Charlie's escape across Loch
Minch to the Isle of Skye. The story says that Charlie escaped the English dressed as a woman with Flora
MacDonald in 1745. The prince made it to the Isle of Skye and lived the remainder of his life exiled and
on the run after the failed rebellion. The text has been tweaked and added upon as the decades have
passed, the most recent version being written by Sir Harold Boulton with lyrics glorifying the bloody
revolution. The piece is arranged by Russell Robinson and holds a powerful message of longing and loss.