Honey and Rue
Honey and Rue | |
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by Chester Music, London | |
Scoring | soprano and small orchestra |
Honey and Rue is a
History
According to The Critical Companion to Toni Morrison, Kathleen Battle had been moved by Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye, and asked Previn and Morrison to create a song cycle for her. The cycle was ultimately commissioned by Carnegie Hall.[2] The lyrics, according to the Chicago Tribune, "move across a specifically black, urban, female landscape of experience".[4]
It was premiered in 1992, sung by Battle in the Carnegie Hall, but most notably remembered as the
Battle recorded the cycle with the
Soprano Harolyn Blackwell has also performed the work several times with Previn as conductor, including performances with the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York (1996),[12] the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1998),[13] the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo (1999), and the Oslo Philharmonic (2001).[14] Previn led the Oslo Philharmonic in performances of the work again in 2006, this time with soprano Nicole Cabell.[15] More recently, soprano Jeanine De Bique performed the cycle to open the 102nd season of Matinee Musicale in the Anderson Center in Cincinnati in May 2015.[16] Soprano Elizabeth Futral is scheduled to sing the work in August 2015 with the Pacific Symphony.
Cycle
- "First I'll Try Love"
- "Whose House Is This"
- "The Town Is Lit"
- "Do You Know Him"
- "I Am Not Seaworthy"
- "Take My Mother Home"
References
- ISBN 978-1-4331-0223-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4381-0857-5.
- ^ a b Bernard, Holland. "Review/Music; Kathleen Battle Sings a Custom-Made Cycle". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ von Rhein, John. "Battle Serves 'Honey And Rue'". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- OCLC 30907218.
- ^ John von Rhein (July 26, 1993). "Something New Under The Stars: Previn's Song Cycle Gets Its Local Debut". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Wigler, Stephen. "Previn and Battle produce treasurable disc Savory: Recording's best part is 'Honey and Rue,' written by Andre Previn for Kathleen Battle". The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ Anthony Tommasini (December 16, 1995). "Music Review: Life After Met Goes On For Battle, Next Door". The New York Times.
- ^ Mary Lou Loper (September 7, 1997). "Philharmonic Strikes Up Another Season". Los Angeles Times.
- Philadelphia Media Network.
- ^ Ben Mattison (27 February 2006). "Detroit Symphony to Honor Kathleen Battle at Gala". Playbill.
- ^ James R. Oestreich (October 19, 1996). "Classical". The New York Times.
- ^ Robert Croan. "No Limits: Two Distinctive Singers Who Dare To Cross The Lines of Style". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ "Musikalsk vismann". Dagbladet. 30 March 2001.
- ^ "Korenes korverk". 20 October 2006.
- ^ Gelfand, Janelle. "Soprano soars in André Previn's Honey and Rue". Cincinnati.com. Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
Further reading
- Fontaine, Jeanette. "He Sang, She Sang: The Gendered Song Cycle." Journal of Singing 70.1 (2013): 97.
- Gingerich, Katrina. "The Journey of the Song Cycle: From “The Iliad” to “American Idiot." Musical Offerings 1.2 (2010): 3.
- Baby, Tar, et al. "Works byToni Morrison." Toni Morrison (2010): 307.