![]() A less heralded but perhaps no less remarkable aspect of his legacy is his deep engagement with poetry. "Milton Babbitt (1916–2011) is well known for his contributions to serialism and electronic music. ![]() We are further grateful to the support of a few individuals who have made this project possible - to Dan Lippel, Zack Bernstein, Jeff Nichols, Bruce Adolphe, Galen Brown, Ryan Streber, and Josh Mailman: THANK YOU." - Nina Berman With that, we’d like to extend tremendous thanks to all of you for being here this evening. I hope that as you listen this evening, you will feel the same pull toward it that Steve and I have felt. ![]() In a sense, the systems he created around composition freed him to let rip the poignancy and soul that draw me to it. In my view, a large part of Babbitt’s genius is that the intricacy of his music dovetails beautifully with the sense of humor for which he is so famous in other words, to my ear, his music overspills with heart not in spite of its complexity but as a result of it. Furthermore, in presenting a stylistically varied program like this evening’s, Steve and I hope to illustrate not only the diversity of music that influenced Babbitt, but also Babbitt’s broad and continued reach: as a composer, he was deeply influenced by music as different as the Bauer and the Brahms on this evening’s program, but also by theatre music and American jazz in turn, as a teacher, Babbitt turned out students whose music sounds as dissimilar as, for example, the Nichols and the Adolphe on this evening’s program. Babbitt’s music is full of liveliness and varied expression, and working through his catalogue as both a listener and performer has been eye-opening for both of us. Despite his prominence, though, some of his songs had never before been recorded! Thus it has been an honor and a joy (and sometimes a slog…) to put together this recording. Why does this music matter, though and why embark on this project? It matters because despite its sometime reputation for severity, Babbitt’s music is arguably the best, the greatest, exemplar of serialism, and Babbitt, himself, is a towering figure in high modernism more generally. One of my hopes is that as you listen to this evening’s program, and to Babbitt’s vocal music more broadly, you will come away feeling not only that his music elevates the texts, but that the richness of the texts equally elevates his compositional style. Further to the musical rewards of working on these pieces, I have always appreciated Babbitt’s deep respect for poetry and literature the texts he chooses to set are full of nuance and richness, much in the way of Babbitt’s music. I have found great reward in seeking balance between the restraint necessitated by the music on the page and the deep feeling required in order to make meaning of it, and I have found joy in engaging with the feeling of release that comes with allowing my voice to speak across the broad vocal range for which Babbitt writes. ![]() I was initially drawn to Babbitt as a listener, and I was struck from the first by the contradiction his work encompasses - it is notated with precision, yet it swings it is simultaneously emotionally removed, yet full of pathos the melodic lines are disjointed, yet form a lyrical tapestry of sound and Babbitt’s veneration of jazz and popular American music intermingles seamlessly with his penchant for a degree of complexity that is sometimes nearly opaque.Īs a singer, I love the challenges presented by this work, and singing this repertoire has tested my vocal technique and my musicianship. Steve and I are so pleased to present some highlights from Babbitt’s catalogue, juxtaposed with works by composers who were deeply influential to Babbitt, and works by his students and colleagues. "This album has taken us many years and many performances to complete, and it is with tremendous gratitude, joy, and excitement that we share this evening’s program with you in celebration of its release. Berman and Beck's performances are beautifully expressive, illuminating the longer lined lyricism that is revealed through precise renderings of Babbitt's often thorny, virtuosic scores. Babbitt was deeply engaged with poetry throughout his life, and his text settings demonstrate his sensitivity to the intricate nuances of the musicality embedded in the poems. Soprano Nina Berman and pianist Steve Beck release a recording of Milton Babbitt's complete works for treble voice and piano, including his epic A Solo Requiem for soprano and two pianos with Eric Huebner. ![]()
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