蜜柚直播

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very American piece,鈥� she said of the work, which she will perform with the 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra this weekend as part of the 2022 蜜柚直播 Desert Song Festival.

鈥淚鈥檓 very interested in Americana and history, and the detail and the personal experience from which this piece is written 鈥� is very fascinating to me,鈥� she said.

TSO Music Director Jos茅 Luis Gomez paired the Barber with Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 4, which has a vocal solo for soprano in the final movement. The orchestra will perform the concert 鈥� 鈥淢ahler鈥檚 Vision of Paradise鈥� 鈥� on Friday, Jan. 21, and Sunday, Jan. 23, at 蜜柚直播 Music Hall.

Gomez called the Barber work, a tone poem of sorts based on James Agee鈥檚 1938 poem, a soprano showcase written very much in the style of Mahler. Mahler turned to the folk poetry collection 鈥淒es Knaben Wunderhorn鈥� (The Boy鈥檚 Magic Horn) for his Fourth Symphony 鈥� the final installment of his so-called Wunderhorn symphonies inspired by the collection.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a good pairing to see how Barber uses the texts of the fantastic literature and adapts it to music. And Mahler did the same thing with German writers including himself,鈥� Gomez said.

Barber was a master of creating atmosphere, something that Mahler also accomplishes in Symphony No. 4. Mahler wrote the lyrics of the last movement with a high voice in mind that would conjure an image of a little boy imagining what heaven would look like.

鈥淚n a weird way (鈥楰noxville鈥�) is nostalgic 鈥� and it is so American,鈥� Cabell said. 鈥淎nd I think as Americans, we can all sort of relate to this mood and this experience that is part of our blood memory or our roots going back.鈥�

This weekend鈥檚 concert marks Cabell鈥檚 TSO debut. The California native, who teaches voice at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, is an alumnus of Lyric Opera of Chicago鈥檚 Center for American Artists. In 2005, she won the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, which set her off on an opera career that has included performing on some of the biggest opera stages in the U.S. and Europe.

Gomez opens the concert with Florence Price鈥檚 鈥淒ances in the Canebrakes,鈥� orchestrated by William Grant Still.

Price is the first Black female composer to have her work performed by a major orchestra; Still, who composed nearly 200 works from symphonies to songs, is often referred to as the 鈥淒ean of Afro-American Composers.鈥�

Gomez said Price fits in with the Song Festival鈥檚 theme of honoring women.

鈥淚t matches beautifully with the women in music and the arts. This is a great opportunity to listen to her music,鈥� Gomez said.

Programming Price follows in the footsteps of the TSO playing works by other composers of color, including Still, whose 鈥淔estive鈥� Overture was featured on the TSO鈥檚 season opening concert last September.

鈥淚 feel the responsibility of bringing this music, as well as other great composers, who are part of the history of this country,鈥� Gomez said. 鈥淭he events of 2020 were eye- and ear-openers to not only find opportunities to make a statement of empowering diversity but the diversity we have has been overlooked. ... We have to change that through empowering the great music written by people of different backgrounds.鈥�