51黑料网

For her encore two years later, she鈥檚 bringing us another new work in her repertoire, 鈥檚 Maya Angelou-inspired song cycle 鈥淢oments in Sonder.鈥�

鈥淭he Boykin is new for me,鈥� Cabell said during a phone call from her Rochester, New York, home last weekend, recalling how she heard it for the first time in a virtual concert during the pandemic. 鈥淚 thought this is the most gorgeous music.鈥�

Selections from 鈥淢oments in Sonder鈥� are on the second half of her Close-Up recital with True Concord Voices & Orchestra on Tuesday, April 9, at the University of Arizona鈥檚 Holsclaw Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road.

Before she gets there, however, Cabell will join True Concord for a trio of performances this weekend of Poulenc鈥檚 magnificent 鈥淕loria,鈥� the centerpiece of the ensemble鈥檚 season finale 鈥淕loria & Bernstein.鈥�

Both concerts close out the 2024 Tucson Desert Song Festival.

鈥淕loria鈥� has been a staple of Cabell鈥檚 repertoire since the early days of her career. Her first performance of it came a year or so after she won the 2005 BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff competition.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a great piece of music,鈥� she said.

On the surface, 鈥淕loria鈥� sounds like it鈥檚 difficult for the voice because 鈥渢he line can be a little bit dissonant, it can be a little strange,鈥� Cabell explained.

鈥淚t sails up into a high part of the voice. The tessitura can be challenging, but, because I鈥檝e sung it so long, I feel really comfy with it,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I first started singing it, I just loved the music but it was a bit of a technical challenge. Fortunately, along with wrinkles and gray hair, you get more settled in your technique in the years. So for me, at this point, it feels really settled in my voice. I love singing it.鈥�

Cabell said a highlight for her in the Poulenc is hearing the orchestra behind her and the voices of the choir singing the text based on the Gloria of the ordinary mass.

鈥淭he Poulenc is one of my favorite pieces of music, so I鈥檓 very excited,鈥� she said.

In the concert鈥檚 second half, True Concord Music Director Eric Holtan programmed Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 Overture and 鈥淢ake Our Garden Grow鈥� from his musical 鈥淐andide鈥� and 鈥淐hichester Psalms,鈥� featuring the professional solo debut of Holtan鈥檚 12-year-old son Kristian.

Kristian, who has been studying piano since he was 5 and sang for four years with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus touring ensemble, will sing the boy soprano role in the second movement.

鈥淪ince he was really little he could match pitch and he had a good sense of rhythm,鈥� Holtan said of his son, who also plays club basketball. 鈥淗e鈥檚 kind of a natural musician.鈥�

The 20-minute work is sung in Hebrew; Bernstein used the original Hebrew texts from the Book of Psalms, drawing on Psalms 100 and 108, 2 and 23 and 131 and 133.

For Tuesday鈥檚 7 p.m. recital, Cabell put together a diverse program that includes works by Spanish composer Fernando Obradors, Frenchman Ravel, Czech composer Dvor谩k and a trio of Americans: Leonard Bernstein, Boykin and Ricky Ian Gordon.

鈥淚鈥檝e always gravitated toward an all-English language second half,鈥� she said, highlighting Boykin鈥檚 鈥淢oments in Sonder鈥� that was inspired by the works of poet Maya Angelou.

Boykin composed the 14-song cycle in 2020 when the country was dealing with racial strife in the aftermath of George Floyd鈥檚 murder. Classical music was especially shaken by the realization that it had not done enough to support and empower Black classical artists and composers.

She also included Bernstein鈥檚 鈥淚 Hate Music,鈥� a song cycle sung from the perspective of a 10-year old girl, that he wrote in 1942, and works influenced by folk music including Ravel鈥檚 鈥淔ive Greek Folk Songs鈥� and Dvor谩k鈥檚 鈥淕ypsy Songs.鈥�

鈥淚 always have gravitated towards the accessibility of this kind of (folk) melody,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey work well with my voice and they are interesting for the audience. The audience seems to respond well to those sets.鈥�

The Dvor谩k includes the composer鈥檚 popular 鈥淪ongs My Mother Taught Me.鈥�