Composed by Robert Nelson, Shadows and Music is a dramatic song cycle based on the lives of Dorothy and Lillian Gish, famous film stars of the silent era. The texts necessarily also involve the great director D.W. Griffith, whose part is largely played by the violinist. Part Four is for just violin and piano and refers to lines in the preceding part where Dorothy observes that "when things got too tense on the set" Mr. Griffith and Lillian would dance. It is also well known that Griffith was fond of using a violinist to play "mood music" during shooting, so the inclusion of the violin seemed especially apt. Ross notes that Lillian and Dorothy were very close sisters but their professional reputations and personalities were quite different. Lillian was known as a very serious tragedienne both onstage and off, and Dorothy was prized for her comic roles and disposition. This contrast is reflected in their music and the two are quite often counterpointed one against the other. Part Two uses their own words drawn from a pair of fan magazine articles they each once wrote about the other. Artists include DuWayne Davis (baritone), Eduardo Lopez de Casas (countertenor), Laura Llana (soprano), Katherine Allen (mezzo soprano), Eden MacAdam-Somer (violin), Roger Keele (piano), and Charles Tauber (violin). This concert is made possible by the All Saints Catholic Concert Series founded by Eduardo Lopez de Casas. |
Robert Nelson |
