Leda and the Swan
Patrick Castillo
About this work:
'Leda and the Swan' for soprano, piano, and alto flute.
TEXT (William Butler Yeats)
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
How can those terrified vague fingers push
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
And how can body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
A shudder in the loins engenders there
The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.
Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
'Leda and the Swan' was composed for Elyse Nakajima and received its premiere by Elyse Nakajima (sop), Phillip Cheah (pno), and Andrea Fisher (alto flute) at the inaugural concert of the Pharos Music Project on May 6, 2005, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, New York, NY.
Persual score and copies for performance are available directly from the composer.
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:08:00
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Unknown
Instrumentation: 1 Alto Flute, 1 Piano, 1 Soprano
Instrumentation notes: The pianist is required to play certain passages on the strings. The alto flautist is to play offstage (from balcony if available) and is not to be seen by the audience throughout. The song also calls for spoken and sprechstimme passages of the soprano.