Moon Poem (Rickards)
Martin Hennessy
About this work:
Moon Poem is the portrait of a woman abandoned by the man she loves. Like Ariadne, she lives on an island somewhere in time, singing her story in the lush, moonlit landscape of her exile. The richly chromatic harmonies of the piano interweave the changing moods of this spurned siren. The voice rages out in the realization that “These are the things that kiss my brow, that take the place of thee.” Nature remains faithful, yet she is herself unfulfilled. Her final admonishment: “Study the moon’s soft gleam” is delivered as a prophetic plea.
World Premier sung by soprano, Heidi Skok, with composer accompanying February 22, 1995 in a concert by Positive Music at the Lesbian and Gay Center in New York City.
This song can be found on the Newport Classic compact disc, Women’s Voices (NPD85613) pairing Ned Rorem’s cycle Women’s Voices with Seven Songs of Martin Hennessy.
Available through Classical Vocal Reprints in Four Songs Volume II (CVR3441).
Version: high voice and piano
Year composed: 1990
Duration: 00:03:03
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with Keyboard
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 High Voice