Performances
Recordings
Publisher Info.
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Vivian Fine Estate
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Performers
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Maria Tegzes, soprano; Leone Buyse, flute; William Wizesien, clarinet; Nancy Cirrilo, violin; Katherine Murdock, viola; Kim Scholes, cello; Dean Anderson, percussion; Sally Pinkas, piano, Richard Pittman, conductor.
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Copyright
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Misc. Notes
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Recorded live April 10, 1989, Kathryn Bache Miller Theater, New York. The first section (3 minutes) is marred by clicking but the rest of the piece is OK. This is the only extant recording.
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Purchase
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Sheet Music
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General Information
Work Title
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Asphodel
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Alternative. Title
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Composer
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Fine, Vivian
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I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No.
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IVF 4
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Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp.
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1988
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First Performance.
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1989-04-10 in New York, Kathryn Bache Miller Theater
- Maria Tegzes, soprano
- Leone Buyse, flute: William Wrzesien, clarinet; Nancy Cirillo, violin; Katherine Murdock, viola; Kim Scholes, cello; Dean Anderson, percussion; Sally Pinkas, piano; Richard Pittman, conductor
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Librettist
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William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)
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Language
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English
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Average DurationAvg. Duration
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13 minutes
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Composer Time PeriodComp. Period
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Modern
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Piece Style
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Modern
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Instrumentation
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Soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano
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External Links
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Vivian Fine website
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Navigation etc.
Commissioned by the Boston Musica Viva
Review
The text for the piece is about a long marriage and its weathering of storms; the lines come from a poem by William Carlos Williams. The speaker of the lines is apparently a man; he draws a comparison between himself and Orpheus, who went to hell for love’s sake. But in Fine’s music the singer becomes a coloratura soprano. The storms go by quickly, and the singer vocalizes flowering melismas of reconciliation over music that lifts the voice and wafts it like a gentle breeze. It’s a lovely piece, and Marla Tegzes sang it with sympathy and virtuosity.
- —Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe, April 22, 1989