Spirits in Bondage Laura Ward, Lyric Fest, Randall Scarlata, Sarah Shafer, Devony Smith

• Benjamin C.S. Boyle (b. 1979): Lenoriana, Op. 4:
• 1 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 1, Annabel Lee 04:24
• 2 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 2, Lenore I 04:10
• 3 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 3, To 01:46
• 4 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 4, The Conqueror Worm 04:30
• 5 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 5, Intermezzo 02:18
• 6 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 6, El Dorado 01:59
• 7 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 7, Lenore II 05:36
• 8 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 8, A Dream Within a Dream 01:54
• 9 Boyle: Lenoriana, Op. 4: No. 9, To Helen 03:54
• Zelda's Dream, Op. 35:
• 10 Boyle: Zelda's Dream, Op. 35 04:21
• Le dormeur du Val, Op. 42:
• 11 Boyle: Le dormeur du Val, Op. 42 03:34
• Reverie & Lullaby, Op. 38:
• 12 Boyle: Reverie & Lullaby, Op. 38: No. 1, Reverie 02:36
• 13 Boyle: Reverie & Lullaby, Op. 38: No. 2, Lullaby 03:23
• 3 Chansons, Op. 11:
• 14 Boyle: 3 Chansons, Op. 11: No. 1, Le flambeau vivant 03:47
• 15 Boyle: 3 Chansons, Op. 11: No. 2, Harmonie du soir 02:48
• 16 Boyle: 3 Chansons, Op. 11: No. 3, Sonnet d'automne 03:33
• Guinevere, Op. 29:
• 17 Boyle: Guinevere, Op. 29 07:18
• Chansons de Diane, Op. 24:
• 18 Boyle: Chansons de Diane, Op. 24: No. 1, Sisina 02:13
• 19 Boyle: Chansons de Diane, Op. 24: No. 2, Parfum exotique 04:22
• 20 Boyle: Chansons de Diane, Op. 24: No. 3, La priere d'un païen 02:47
• 21 Boyle: Chansons de Diane, Op. 24: No. 4, La beauté 04:11
• Ophelia, Op. 3:
• 22 Boyle: Ophelia, Op. 3 07:41
• Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25:
• 23 Boyle: Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25: No. 1, A Nymph's Passion 01:32
• 24 Boyle: Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25: No. 2, The Message 02:53
• 25 Boyle: Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25: No. 3, To Music, to Becalm his Fever 04:43
• 26 Boyle: Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25: No. 4, Dawn 01:32
• 27 Boyle: Folksongs from Another World, Op. 25: No. 5, Karolin's Song 02:41
• Songs of Virtue and Loss, Op. 30:
• 28 Boyle: Songs of Virtue and Loss, Op. 30: No. 1, Survival 02:33
• 29 Boyle: Songs of Virtue and Loss, Op. 30: No. 2, Patience 03:45
• Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40:
• 30 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 1, Prologue 02:48
• 31 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 2, Satan Speaks 01:09
• 32 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 3, Victory 03:43
• 33 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 4, Night 01:41
• 34 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 5, Alexandrines 02:09
• 35 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 6, Spooks 04:00
• 36 Boyle: Spirits in Bondage, Op. 40: No. 7, World's Desire 03:45
• Total Runtime 02:01:59

Info for Spirits in Bondage

Poetry and music have often been described as “beautiful sisters” in the European tradition, and American composer Benjamin C. S. Boyle sets out to prove just how harmonious this kinship can be. Owing to pianist and art song expert Laura Ward as well as to a selection of top-class singers, these elaborate yet easily accessible vocal compositions are resplendently brought to life on SPIRITS IN BONDAGE.

The lyrics underpinning this double album are often fantastical, but Boyle prudently renounces any notion of musical pomp and instead sets them in an agreeably-reduced, crystal-clear tonal language. Ward and her high-carat assortment of vocalists empathetically, wisely oblige and perform them likewise – and the result is magnificent.

The continued endurance of the Art Song is multifaceted. On one hand, the genre is intimate — a single voice with a complex and psychologically intricate bond with a single pianist. Two artists in symbiosis, able to produce what aspires to the most nuanced and exquisitely detailed performance imaginable. The genre speaks to the composers who delight in the sub-atomic particles of music and the genetics of language. On the other hand, art songs can be grouped into cycles to tell stories of the most grand and universal nature (Dichterliebe of Schumann or Winterreise of Schubert), to encapsulate the sublimely elegiac (Faure’s Les horizon chimerique or Barber’s last three songs) or to let us travel to worlds far away both beautiful (Debussy’s Chansons de Bilitis) or terrifying (Ravel’s Chansons madecasses).

For me, a good art song composer must not only love poetry, but have something to add to it, without ever stepping in front of or disregarding the wishes and intentions of the poet — even if those wishes can only be divined from the distant past. Thus I have only ever set texts that resonate with me artistically and that I love.

The songs in this collection are a sampling of 20 years of Art Song composition. It contains large cycles telling large stories (Lenoriana and Spirits in Bondage), smaller sets of songs detailing an artistic theme or moment in time (Chansons de Diane and Folksongs from another World), and stand-alone larger songs telling the story of one character and the arc of her life (Ophelia, Guinevere, and Zelda’s Dream).

I am incredibly grateful to Lyric Fest for enabling the creation of this recording and commissioning several of the works, to Laura Ward for her endless determination and generous artistry, to Paul Vazquez for his incredible ears, and to my amazing singers, each of whom gave their very best for this recording. (Benjamin C.S. Boyle)

Laura Ward, piano
Lyric Fest
Randall Scarlata, baritone
Sarah Shafer, soprano
Devony Smith, mezzo-soprano
Bryan Hymel, tenor
Barbara Prugh, trumpet

Laura Ward
is pianist and Co-Artistic Director of Lyric Fest. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Spoleto Festival (Italy) and the Colmar International Music Festival and Saint Denis Festival in France. She has served on the faculty of The CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, The Academy of Vocal Arts, Temple University, Ravinia Festival Stean’s Institute, Washington Opera, University of Maryland and The Music Academy of the West. Ward’s discography includes Lineage with GRAMMY-nominated Baritone, Randall Scarlata, In This Blue Room, Lyric Fest performs Songs of Kile Smith, Daron Hagen 21st Century Song Cycles, and most recently, Hat er mir Rosen Gebracht: Songs of Joseph Marx, with KendraColton (Soprano).

Ward is also a recording artist and editor of song accompaniments for publisher Hal Leonard, having co-edited Richard Strauss: 40 Songs, Gabriel Fauré: 50 Songs, and Johannes Brahms: 75 Songs, and recorded over 2000 song accompaniments for Hal Leonard Publishing. These volumes help countless singers and pianists experience, learn, and enjoy the art song repertoire and also help introduce a world of art song to many who have had little exposure to classical songs. A native of Texas, Ward received her Bachelor in Music degree from Baylor University, holds a Masters in Collaborative Piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and a Doctorate In Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan where she was a student of Martin Katz.

Lyric Fest
has been hailed in the press as “An irresistible mix of high art and humane feeling…as entertaining as a well-managed party.” (Tom Purdom, Broad Street Review) It was founded in 2003 with the goal of celebrating and revitalizing the song tradition, and is the only performing arts organization in the Mid-Atlantic region with a primary focus on song and art song in all its varied expression. Now in its 20th season, LF is run by its co-founding artistic directors, Suzanne DuPlantis and Laura Ward. LF has produced and presented over 100 distinctly crafted and curated concert programs featuring more than 250 local, regional and national performing artists. LF has brought programs to Washington DC, Moorestown NJ, Wilmington DE, New Orleans LA, Pittsburgh PA, New York City NY, San Jose CA, and Brooklyn NY. Commissioning and performing new works has become an integral part of LF’s mission and programming philosophy. Since its founding, LF has commissioned and premiered over 60 new works (solo songs, full cycles and arrangements) by local, regional, and nationally recognized composers. LF generates and facilitates partnership with composers, providing them opportunities for creating and mounting performances of their work.

Randall Scarlata
Known for his versatility and consummate musicianship, Randall Scarlata’s repertoire spans five centuries and 16 languages. A sought-after interpreter of new music, he has given world premieres of works by George Crumb, Paul Moravec, Richard Danielpour, Ned Rorem, Benjamin CS Boyle, Lori Laitman, Thea Musgrave, Samuel Adler, Hilda Paredes, Daron Hagen, Wolfram Wagner, and Christopher Theofanidis. He regularly performs the major German song cycles with pianists such as Cameron Stowe, Gilbert Kalish, Jeremy Denk, Jonathan Biss, Inon Barnatan, Peter Frankl, and Laura Ward. He is a regular guest with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Lyric Fest, Chamber Music Northwest, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Festival, the Skaneateles Chamber Music Festival, among many others. In addition, Scarlata’s extensive recording catalog appears on the Chandos, Naxos, CRI, Gasparo, Arabesque, Bridge, Albany and Sono Luminus labels. His recording of Schubert’s Winterreise with pianist Gilbert Kalish was honored with a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Vocal Solo.

Sarah Shafer
Praised by the New York Times for her “luminous voice” and “intensely expressive interpretations,” and named “remarkable, artistically mature” and “a singer to watch” by Opera News, American soprano Sarah Shafer performs with opera companies including The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Tulsa Opera. Equally at home in standard and contemporary repertoire, she has created leading roles in world premiere productions with San Francisco Opera, and debuted works by renowned composers Richard Danielpour, John Harbison, and Poul Ruders.

She has appeared in concert with many orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the National Orchestra of Mexico, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician and recitalist, she regularly collaborates with pianist Richard Goode at venues including Carnegie Hall and Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, and sings at prominent festivals throughout the United States and abroad, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, Bard Music Festival, and the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. Shafer was a 2014 Astral Artists winner. She spent five summers as a resident artist at the Marlboro Music Festival. Recordings include the debut of Richard Danielpour’s chamber work, Talking to Aphrodite with Naxos Records, Poul Ruder’s opera The Thirteenth Child with Bridge Records, and the world premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Love Sweet with the Lysander Piano Trio with First Hand Records.

Devony Smith
American mezzo soprano Devony Smith is an artist with deep and profound roots in the concert hall. Featured formerly by the Brooklyn Art Song Society in previous seasons in repertoire from Schubert to Canteloube, she was most recently chosen by the company to present a world premiere song cycle by Eve Beglarian. This season she will also appear in a concert of world premieres with Lyric Fest Philadelphia, where she will perform several world premieres including new songs by GRAMMY Award winning Jennifer Higdon.

After two seasons as a Stern Fellow and Sorel fellow at the prestigious Songfest Festival, Smith was invited by Yehuda Gilad to be featured as the soloist in Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the Colburn Symphony Orchestra. There are few American concert halls where Smith is not an active proponent of new and exciting works. From the Ravinia Steans Musical Institute to the Caramoor Center for the Arts as a Schwab Rising Star, to the Marilyn Horne Song Continues Workshop and Carnegie Citywide concerts, Smith’s commitment to new American works is palpable. This extends to the operatic stage, where she has held a long-standing relationship with the works of Pulitzer Prize finalist Kate Soper, notably touring her work Here be Sirens, and working to premiere her latest operatic work, The Romance of the Rose.

This album contains no booklet.