A Summer's Journey for Voice, Trombone, and Piano by Eric Ewazen Chamber Music - Sheet Music

SKU: PR.111402370

UPC: 680160607631. 8.5 x 11 inches. Text: C. B. Von Leitner. C. Leitner. Poetry by C.B. von Leitner.

Inspired by Schubert’s art songs (especially those with instrumental obbligato), Eric Ewazen’s A SUMMER’S JOURNEY is a five song cycle for high voice, trombone, and piano on poems found in Schubert lieder (in English translation). The five poems I chose, says the composer, are filled with beautiful imagery, an emphasis on nature, and heartfelt description of personal feelings; feelings of love, of sorrow, of longing, of happiness, of contentment. The music continually reflects the ever-changing moods of these beautiful and powerful words. The soprano and trombone sometimes alternate melodies, with the trombone commenting on the soprano’s emotions, but sometimes the two join together in soaring and lyrical duets.
A Summer's Journey was composed during the Spring of 2007, and commissioned and premiered by two of my closest friends, Soprano Alison Vernon, and her husband, Charles Vernon, bass trombonist of the Chicago Symphony. I had worked with Charlie for years, accompanying him the very first time at the International Trombone Festival at the University of Illinois in 1996. We subsequently made a CD together, and he premiered and recorded my Ballade for Bass Trombone, Harp, and String Orchestra. Through the years we collaborated on various projects, performing some 20 recitals together. I was delighted when I got to know his lovely wife, Alison, a coloratura Soprano, who gave beautiful performances of my art songs. At Charlie's suggestion, I then wrote this large song cycle, for both of them together, featuring a soaring, lyrical vocal line, and a complimentary, lyrical trombone obligato line, in the manner of works like Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock for clarinet, voice, and piano, and Auf dem Straum for horn, voice, and piano. Interestingly, the first time I ever accompanied Charlie was when we rehearsed Kindertotenlieder of Mahler, with Charlie playing the voice part on alto trombone. It was a revelation for me. Remembering his smooth-as-glass lyricism imitating the sound of a human voice led to the ultimate inspiration for how to combine his sound with the gorgeous, rich lyricism of Alison's voice. A final inspiration for this piece came from the 600+ art songs of Schubert. For a text I selected 5 poems that Schubert had already set. My interpretations of the poems, and the music I decided to use is sometimes similar to Schubert's, and sometimes very different. It was fun once in performance, hearing Alison sing some of the original Schubert settings, followed by my setting of the same words. The contrast was both fun and striking to hear. I had the pleasure of accompanying Alison and Charlie on the premiere performance in Oregrund, Sweden, and the U.S. premiere at the Washington Island Music Festival in Wisconsin, both in the summer of 2007, followed by the NY premiere at Juilliard in February 2008. The title A Summer's Journey is another nod to Schubert with his masterpiece Winterreise (A Winter's Journey) containing 3 of the poems I set. The five poems I set are all filled with beautiful imagery, an emphasis on nature, and heartfelt description of personal feelings, feelings of love, of sorrow, of longing, of happiness, of contentment. The music continually reflects the ever-changing moods of these beautiful and powerful words. The soprano and trombone sometimes alternate melodies, with the trombone commenting on the soprano's emotions, but sometimes the two join together in soaring and lyrical duets.