Between
1920 and 1933, the American writer Ezra Pound, known for his revelatory
work concerning the music of language, turned as well to the language
of music. Composing two complete operas and several pieces for solo
violin, all in a very personal language which drew from sources as
diverse as troubadour music and Igor Stravinsky, Pound set texts
by Guido Cavalcanti and François Villon which he felt resisted
translation, in order to share his appreciation of these poets with
his contemporaries. The result is a body of music, still unknown
to many, which is of surpassing beauty and casts new light on the
practice of prosody, the elusive craft of setting texts to music.
Other Minds has gathered historical
recordings from performances around the world to create this
richly sonorous compilation of heartfelt, affecting performances.
Conductor and Pound music scholar Robert Hughes conducts The
Other Minds Ensemble and others and was the guiding light in
selecting the repertoire and recordings. Reinbert de Leeuw leads
a performance with tenor Harry van der Kamp from the 1980 Holland
Festival; other recordings from England and Italy round out this
brilliant collection. An 80-page booklet with an essay by Pound
music expert Margaret Fisher and previously unpublished photographs
make this deluxe package a must for those interested in 20th
century music, and in operatic and literary history.
Early
in 2004 Robert Hughes and Margaret Fisher
published their book Cavalcanti:
A Perspective on The Music of Ezra Pound,
a systematic analysis of Pound's music
training, the application of his musico-poetic
theories, methods of composition, and a music
analysis of Pound's opera Cavalcanti. You
can order it from our webstore.
—Charles
Amirkhanian, Executive Producer
Other
Minds OM 1005-2
Ego Scriptor Cantilenae:The Music of Ezra Pound
You can listen to excerpts with Audio Player.
Tracks 1–6
Selections from Le
Testament (1923)
1 Brothel Music: Jerome
Neff, Jack Pereira, John Foreman, perc.
0:18
2 Dictes moy
2:00
3 Hëaulmiere's Aria — "Ha, vieillesse felonne et fiere"
8:06
4 Dame du ciel: Sandra
Bush, mezzo-soprano
3:37
5 Pere Noé
5:27
6 Freres humains
8:48
The texts, in French and English, are enclosed.
Tracks 7–12
Fiddle Music First Suite (1923–1924)
3:14
Track 13
Al
poco giorno (c. 1931)
6:05
Tracks 14–20
Selections from Cavalcanti (1931–1933)
14 Poi che di doglia
1:56
15 Sol
per pietà: Robert Tate, tenor
2:06
16 Gianni quel Guido
1:29
17 Tos temps serai
0:45
18 Ailas
2:27
19 Quando di morte
5:58
20 Perch'io
non spero
6:09
The texts, in Italian, Provençal and English, are enclosed.
Track 21
Frottola (c. 1931) Nathan Rubin,
violin
2:03
Track 22
Selection from Collis O Heliconii (1932)
Carmen LXI
