Late Night at Emmanuel

A new series of one-hour programs curated by members of the ensemble, presented in a cabaret setting with food and drink.

David Kravitz, baritone
Lynn Torgove, mezzo-soprano
Randall Zigler, bass
Donald Berman, piano
Lloyd Schwartz, reader

Arneis Quartet
Heather Braun, violin
Rose Drucker, violin
Daniel Doña , viola
Agnes Kim, cello

Howl, for speaker & string quartet, is a setting by Lee Hyla of poetry by Allen Ginsberg. Howl is Ginsberg’s most famous poem and probably defines the “Beat Generation” of American writers as much as any single work does.  The second and third movements presented here describe Ginsberg’s visions of the monstrous “Moloch,” and recount the experiences he and his friend Carl Solomon shared in a New York psychiatric institution.

Schwartzsongs (world premiere)
Composer’s note, John Harbison: The three Schwartzsongs were written one each year beginning in 2015.  I thought of them as an effort to reproduce the reciting and reading voice of Lloyd Schwartz which I have experienced many times.  The particular rhythmic cadence of Lloyd’s delivery defines the musical idiom for these three songs.

Our two settings of Ginsberg’s poem A Supermarket in California, by Andy Vores and Elena Ruehr, were both written for David Kravitz and the Arneis Quartet.  The poem describes an imaginary encounter between the poet and Walt Whitman, whom Ginsberg greatly admired, as Whitman wanders around a supermarket, then out into the night, and finally to the Greek underworld.  The two composers take dramatically different approaches to setting Ginsberg’s words. Read the text for A Supermarket in California here.

The Right to Pleasure for mezzo-soprano and string quintet, by John Harbison, was originally composed for mezzo-soprano and piano, setting four poems by acclaimed poet Jessica Fisher. It was prepared for string quintet for Network for New Music in Philadelphia. Read John Harbison’s note about the piece.

From Lynn Torgove: “This program grew out of my deep and long commitment to John Harbison’s music – and also out of my appreciation for care and insight (and choice) into the poems that he sets. When we did a full recital of his songs at Williams College a few years ago it was called “Words and Music”. I also love working with Lloyd [Schwartz] as a reader of poetry – we have performed together in several settings in a series of concerts of both John’s and Andy Vores’ music – me singing, Lloyd reading. His reading is so filled with music – shape, meaning, melodic and rhythmic expression and perception.I find John’s settings of Jessica Fisher’s poems to be fierce and shocking and sensual. As noted in his published notes, he wrote each of the four songs for a different mezzo – and (I blush, truly) one of them was dedicated to me.”

Composers John Harbison, Elena Ruehr and Andy Vores and poet Lloyd Schwartz will be on hand between perfromances for an informal discussion of the music and poetry.