"In My Sky at Twilight" [Augusta Read Thomas]

"In My Sky at Twilight" [Augusta Read Thomas]

First line of lyrics: Ablaze with desire

Thomas, Augusta Read; music (American, born 1964)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

Komachi, Ono; text (Japanese, active 9th century). Browning, Robert; text (English, 1849-1912). Flaubert, Gustave; text (French, 1821-1880). Kshetrayya; text (Indian, active 17th century). Sappho; text (Archaic Greek, c. 630 – c. 570 BC). Cummings, E.E.; text (English, 1894-1962). Anonymous; text ("Ancient Egyptian Love Lyric"). Hopkins, Gerard Manley; text (English, 1844-1889). Merwin, W. S. [William Stanley]; text (American, 1927-2019). Pindar; text (Ancient Greek, c. 518 – 438 BC). Neruda, Pablo; text (Chilean, 1904-1973). Browning, Elizabeth Barrett; text (English, 1806-1861). Lady Kasa; text (Japanese, active 8th century).

Merwin, W.S. [William Stanley]; translation of Neruda text (American, 1927-2019)

2002 [publication] [copyright]

G. Schirmer Inc.

genre: song

solo: soprano

instrumentation: piano|orchestra

initial sharps/flats: no sharps or flats

initial time signature: 3/4

origin: United States

female composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "Echo"

Work contains texts by multiple authors

Notes about the text: This work is divided into two sections and includes excerpts from the following literary works: I. "Deeper than all Roses": "Kokinshu" (Ono no Komachi), "The Ring and the Book" (Robert Browning), "Madame Bovary" (Gustave Flaubert), "Dancing-Girl's Song" (Kshetrayya), "to Atthis" (Sappho), "somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond" (E.E. Cummings), "Ancient Egyptian Love Lyric" (Anonymous, ca. 1085-570 B.C.), "Repeat that, repeat" (Gerard Manley Hopkins), "Kore" (W.S. Merwin), "Moonrise June 19, 1876" (Gerard Manley Hopkins); II. "Lament": "Echo" (Christina Rossetti),"The stars and the rivers" (Pindar), "In My Sky At Twilight" (Pablo Neruda, translated by W.S. Merwin), "Sonnet XLIII, From the Portuguese" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning), "I shall think of you" (Lady Kasa). Of Rossetti's poem "Echo," Thomas includes only the last four lines: "Come back to me in dreams, that I may give / Pulse for pulse, breath for breath: / Speak low, lean low, / As long ago, my love, how long ago."

Composition history: "Commissioned for MusicNow, the new music chamber series of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in loving memory of Marilyn M. Simpson by her devoted family." The composer states on her website: "William G. Simpson generously asked me to make a composition based on the theme: enduring love that spans the chasm of death. The result is IN MY SKY AT TWILIGHT, a collection of songs inspired by passion and love, commissioned in loving memory of Marilyn M. Simpson by her devoted family." ("In My Sky at Twilight (2002)")

Tempo markings: "Blazing, urgent, passionate"; quarter note = 72-80

Performance instructions: "This work was intended for three kinds of performance: 1. a concert performance; 2. a ballet/dance performance; 3. a version which incorporates a small chorus, threading its signing throughout the different episodes of this work, coming in and out of the texture in a fluid manner, is now being prepared by the composer. This version is 10 minutes longer and is intended as a one-act music theater/opera work. Dance could also be used in this version."

Performance history: "The world premiere took place in Chicago on December 1, 2002, in Orchestra Hall with Pierre Boulez conducting members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Christine Brandes as soprano soloist." A second version of the setting was "Premiered on a Portrait Concert at the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy at the Teatro alle Tese in Venice. Ivan Fedele, Director of Music, 5, October 2018." "The wind, brass, percussion, piano (celesta) harp parts are identical in both versions. The string parts are not identical." ("In My Sky at Twilight (2002)")

Recordings: Augusta Read Thomas "In My Sky at Twilight." Performance by Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music NOW Ensemble, Christine Brandes, Pierre Boulez. From Augusta Read Thomas: Selected Works for Orchestra, 2014.

Dedication: "This work is dedicated with admiration and gratitude to Pierre Boulez, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Christine Brandes, and William G. Simpson."

Format 1: musical score

78 pages; performance time 22 minutes

Other data reference(s): "In My Sky at Twilight — Songs of Passion and Love (2002)." Wise Music Classical, https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/33848/. Accessed 24 March 2020.
"In My Sky at Twilight (2002)." Augusta Read Thomas, http://www.augustareadthomas.com/composition/inmysky.html. Accessed 24 March 2020.

Cataloguer: Emily McConkey, University of Ottawa

This score is copyright protected. A score can be consulted here: "In My Sky at Twilight — Songs of Passion and Love (2002)." Wise Music Classical, https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/33848/. Accessed 24 March 2020.

Record: CRM-echo-thomas

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