Words of Reason
Diese Seite auf Deutsch anzeigen.
Words of Reason is a commissioned song cycle that had it’s world premiere at Staatstheater Darmstadt, in Darmstadt Germany. The text is mostly spontaneous interview answers, so the pieces are more scenes than songs. The pieces, along with the origin text, can be found below. The recital in its entirety contains a wealth of new music composed by living American composers, as well as music from American greats, Copland and Ives. To learn more about the process of creating the recital, please visit the Words of Reason YouTube Channel for interviews, insight, and more. For more information about the paintings used as a backdrop, scroll to the bottom of this page.
I have approximate Answers
The first piece is an overture of sorts, and contains music and motifs from the subsequent three pieces. The words are from an interview by Richard Feynman, which can be found here. I wanted to create an expansive sound that represented Feynman’s description of our place in the universe, as well as sections that represented his candor and passion for the topic.
Bone cancer in children?
The second piece in the cycle takes words from a famous interview answer given by Stephen Fry, which can be seen here. As with the first piece, the words were left almost entirely intact, as they were spoken in the interview.
What about fraulein fritzl in austria?
The third piece in this cycle is the hardest to stomach. The words come from an interview answer given by Christopher Hitchens, which can be seen here. We were the most liberal with the use of his words in this piece for the sake of flow and impact. Certain sections of text are repeated while other asides from the interview are left out.
That’s it for me
We ended the cycle on a bit of a lighter note, using a section of Billy Connolly’s stand up, which can be seen here. Connolly’s delivery was so perfect, that the piece is actually an exact rhythmic and melodic facsimile of his stand up routine. On the night of our premiere the singer took off his jacket and dress shirt to reveal a T-shirt with “going to hell in every religion” printed on it. The stunt was met with laughter and applause, and the recital itself ended in a standing ovation. At the beginning of the piece we hear the melody from “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König”, a religious piece that most Germans would recognize. The melody decays throughout the opening, ending with an obvious tritone. The melody decays further every time it is heard. By the end it is played as somewhat of a jig, mirroring the journey of someone who has believed in religion, doubts religion, and then eventually just finds the whole thing ridiculous.
Full Cycle
The Paintings
The paintings, that served as the backdrop to the recital, were three pieces from a four part series entitled Visions of the Hereafter by Hieronymus Bosch. From left to right they are Terrestrial Paradise, Ascent of the Blessed, and Hell
