Universal Longings
Anhelos Universales
In Partnership with National Philharmonic
Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 3 p.m.
The Music Center at Strathmore
Program:
James Lee III, Breaths of Universal Longings
From Dust We Were Made [Genesis 2:7, Job 38:7 (paraphrased by James Lee III)]
Now and Then [Charles Bertram Johnson]
Reflection [Texts by members of the May Festival Youth Chorus]
Seeking Joy [William Henry Davies]
INTERMISSION
Antonio Estévez, Cantata Criolla
Lento e cadencioso
Lento, tenebroso
Allegro vivo
About:
TWC's first concert of the season, “Anhelos Universales,” explores the power of song, presenting a tapestry woven from the human voice and spirit. We begin with the east coast premiere of James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings, celebrating our shared humanity and the universality of singing. Then we demonstrate the true power of the human voice through the vivid storytelling of Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla, in which Florentino, a Venezuelan cowboy, musically duels with El Diablo to save his soul. Co-presented with National Philharmonic and conducted by Artistic Director Eugene Rogers, this concert weaves the thread that connects us all.
Dr. Eugene Rogers, conductor
National Philharmonic
Scott Piper, Tenor
Juan Tomás Martínez Yépez, Baritone
Reservoir High School Chamber Choir
Cantata Criolla
Cantata Criolla by Venezuelan composer Antonio Estévez demonstrates the power of singing through storytelling and rich, musical language.
Composed in 1954, Cantata Criolla is the setting of the famous Venezuelan poem “Florentino y El Diablo” by Alberto Arvelo Torrealba. The text celebrates traditional Venezuelan folk culture, exploring the mysterious “llanos” (plains) of Venezuela and the performance practice of the “copleros” (improvisational musicians of the llanos). The Faustian story centers around Florentino, a musical cowboy, and El Diablo himself, as they engage in a singing contest with Florentino’s soul as the prize.
The piece is in three large-scale movements and will be performed by the orchestra, full chorus, and two soloists.
Breaths of Universal Longings
James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings is a work in four movements, commissioned and premiered by the Cincinnati May Festival in 2023. The piece incorporates a variety of texts, beginning with biblical excerpts from the creation story in Genesis and concluding with William Henry Davies’s poem, “Seeking Joy.” In this final movement, the music continues in a steady ascent as Davies’s text shifts from “Joy, how I sought thee!” to “Joy, I have found thee!,” concluding with an explosive last measure of music.
“Breaths of Universal Longings is a work inspired primarily by the concepts of joy and belonging. It is a work that celebrates the power of the voice and singing. It is also about shared humanity and the universality of singing.” – James Lee III