Two Art Songs brings a British romantic-era poem and an early 20th-century work together in a short collection of vocal pieces. E. E. Cummings (1894 – 1962), a quintessential American poet, describes love in abstract terms along with familiar images, adding layers of complexity and beauty to his brief work, [love is more thicker than forget]. The ambiguity is complemented by the varying definitions of love, with Cummings describing it as "more thinner than recall", "most mad and moonly", and many more. The second piece, set on the early 19th-century poem, A Complaint, by William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850), similarly dwells on themes of love. The poem is often regarded as a reaction to the author's falling out with fellow British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834). In this way, the poem captures the despair of losing love not just for these two literary figures, but for all who encounter love’s fragility .​

 

Premiered February 20, 2025 | Kresge Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA.

 

Nazmee Kamal, mezzo-soprano; John Makara, piano.