RILKE FOR VOICE AND GUITAR
Harold Blumenfeld
About this work:
Settings of the great "Archaischer Torso Apollos", surrounded by two Early Poems - "Du, meine heilige Einsamkeit" and "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde". Sung in German.
For high voice, guitar.....
Recorded by Rosalind Rees, soprano, David Starobin, guitar, VoxBox CDX 5145.
Former Pub: MMB Music, now closed. Published by COMPOSER: blumenf@wustl.edu
Score $20.
SOUND BITE: "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde" complete, with
virtuosic guitar accompaniment. Text and translation below. Sample SCORE PAGES available on site.
Composer's first work using Guitar. Other works of composer employing guitar, at times in virtuosic fashion: "Voyages after Hart Crane", "Ange de flamme et de glace"; "War Lament"; "Charioteer of Delphi" [all included on this internet site]...
Poem III: Text and translation of Sound Bite---
"Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde, darin du mich so eilen siehst.
Ich bin ein Baum vor meinem Hintergrunde, Ich bin nur einer meiner vielen Munde und jener, welcher sich
am frühesten schliesst...
Ich bin die Ruhe zwischen zweien Tönen,
die sich nur schlecht aneinander gewöhnen: denn der Ton Tod will sich erhöhn. Aber im dunklen Intervall
versöhnen sich beide zitternd.
Und das Lied bleibt schön."...
"My life is not this steep hour
in which you see me rushing so.
I am a tree before my background.
I am only one of my many mouths,
the one which is first to close...
I am the silence between two tones
which only poorly blend:
for death's tone will there ascend.
But in the dark interval,
both are reconciled, trembling.
And the song stays beautiful."...
translation copyright 1995 by Harold Blumenfeld.
Year composed: 1975
Duration: 00:07:49
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with One Non-keyboard Instrument
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Work performable by tenor or high baritone, as well as soprano.
Virtuoso guitar part.