Info:
Commission / Premiere:
Commissioned by Arthur Jacobson and Peninah Petruck for bass-baritone Benjamin de la Fuente and pianist Jocelyn Dueck.
Premiered by the composer (bass), Kevin Korth (piano)
Recital Hall, SFCM; San Francisco CA; 03/06/2016
Winner of the 2017 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Art Song Composition Competition.
Watch / Listen:
About the work:
Foursquare Cathedral is a setting of five poems from poet Todd Boss’ critically lauded debut volume, Yellowrocket. The cycle was commissioned by Arthur Jacobson and Peninah Petruck for bass-baritone Benjamin de la Fuente and pianist Jocelyn Dueck. It was premiered on March 6, 2016 as part of the Hot Air Music Festival at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with the composer singing, and Kevin Korth at the piano. The cycle was shortly thereafter chosen as winner of the 2017 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Art Song Composition Competition, and it is now published by E. C. Schirmer.
I. Ruin
II. My House is Small and Almost
III. The Wallpaper
IV. What Yesterday Appeared a Scar
V. Another Hand
"This song cycle is absolutely brilliant, from the first note to the last. The composer brought the words to life through inventive word settings, intriguing harmonies, an interesting and varied accompaniment which contributed to the understanding of the text, an engaging dramatic sense, and a wonderful choice of poems."
- Lori Laitman, composer, lead adjudicator for the NATS competition