Katrina Saporsantos

soprano

Soprano Katrina Saporsantos completed her

Professional Studies Certificate at the Manhattan
School of Music (MSM), where she also received her
Master of Music degree in Classical Voice
Performance under the studio of American soprano
Ashley Putnam. She also holds a Bachelor of Music
degree and Diploma in Creative and Performing
Musical Arts from the University of the Philippines
College of Music where she was a student of tenor
Ramon Acoymo.

She was already very active in the Philippine classical music scene even while still a student at the
University of the Philippines. Highlights of her professional engagements at that time included
performances at the Bamboo Organ Festival (2004 to 2006), at the 7​th San Agustin International Music
Festival, and at the 12​th Pundaquit Music Festival. Her orchestral debut was as soprano soloist of Carl
Orff’s Carmina Burana ​at the Cultural Center of the Philippines with the San Miguel Philharmonic
Orchestra and Master Chorale in 2002. She performed the same work with the Philippine Philharmonic
Orchestra, Ballet Philippines and the Philippine Madrigal Singers in 2003. She was one of the soprano
soloists for the Philippine premiere of Gustav Mahler’s ​Symphony No. 8​, “Symphony of a Thousand”, and
sang for the World Premiere of Robin Estrada’s ​Black Psalms at Miller Hall in the San Francisco
Conservatory in California. She was a featured soloist in ​Gilas: Pagdiriwang ng Opera Filipina
(Excellence! Philippine Opera Gala) in celebration of the 2004 National Theater Festival at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines. She performed the role of Bizen no Kata (Chatelaine of Bizen) in the world
premiere of Manuel Maramba’s opera Takayama Ukon at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Japan in 2003. In
the same year, she received a certificate of distinction for “Exemplary Achievement in a National
Competition” from the University of the Philippines in recognition of her winning Third Place in the Solo
Voice Category C-1 at the 2002 National Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA).

In New York, she sang for master classes conducted by Lauren Flanigan, Stephanie Blythe, and Marilyn
Horne. As part of Manhattan School of Music’s 90th Anniversary, she performed at the school’s
production of ​Griffelkin​, an opera by the great American composer Lukas Foss, with the composer in
attendance. She also performed the roles of Elisabetta in ​Maria Stuarda​, Chimène in ​Le Cid​, Mimi from
La Bohème, M​ arschallin in ​Der Rosenkavalier​, Leonora in ​Il Trovatore​, Cio-Ciosan in ​Madama Butterfly
and Desdemona in ​Otello for various opera scenes concerts at MSM. She sang Richard Wagner’s
Wesendonck Lieder with the Manhattan Philharmonia under the baton of Kenneth Kiesler. She worked
again with Maestro Kiesler, singing Mahler’s ​2nd Symphony (“Resurrection”) with the MSM Symphony
Orchestra and Chorus at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in 2010. In November of that same year,
she was invited to premiere the role of Saint Mary in the cantata ​Holy Women composed by MSM
President Robert Sirota. She participated in the 1​st Switchboard Music Festival in San Francisco and the
1st UN Filipino Talent Festival held at Labouisse Hall at the UNICEF; sang at the Hospitality Committee
for United Nations Delegations, Inc. (HCUND) Ambassadors' Ball, the diplomatic scene's most prestigious
fundraiser; was the guest artist at the Global South-South Expo at the World Bank Headquarters in
Washington, DC for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP); and sang concerts with the
Philippine Chamber Rondalla of New Jersey, among others. Her most recent engagements included a
performance as soprano solo in Bizet’s ​Te Deum ​and Saint Saëns’ ​Christmas Oratorio ​with the Children’s
Orchestra Society, a concert presented by the Felipe Padilla De Leon Foundation; and a concert with
the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers in February this year. She also gave a masterclass at the
UST Conservatory of Music. She is the First Prize winner of Manhattan School of Music’s 2008
Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition (Voice).

Augusto Espino
piano
Augusto "Agot" Espino earned his Bachelor's and Master's
Degrees in Music from the University of the Philippines
where he was a consistent scholar. A pianist, pedagogue,
christian songwriter, choral conductor and arranger, his
name has been identified with numerous classical
performing groups like the U.P. Concert Chorus, U.P. Bel
Canto Filipino, U.P. Trio, Lyrika, and The Philippine Boys
Choir. As a collaborative artist, he has performed
extensively here and abroad and has become a favorite
assisting pianist to many classical solo artists because of his
musicality, sensitivity, and technical proficiency. Also a solo
artist, Agot has been featured as piano soloist by the Philippine Youth Orchestra, Metro Manila
Symphony Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, UP Symphonic Band, and the UP Jazz
Orchestra.

He has also recorded three solo albums of Christian music arranged for piano solo. His published works
include ​Ambo Hato , commissioned contest piece for the 1987 NAMCYA Youth Choir Competition; Short
Introits and Benedictions for Mixed Chorus; ​Guhit-Tugtugin: A Collection of Filipino Folksongs arranged
for Young Pianists, All-Original Filipino Short Introits and Benedictions for Mixed Chorus, Recuerdo
Variations (piano solo based on Jovita Fuentes' "Ay Kalisud", ​Seleksiyon​: A Collection of Filipino Pieces
for Piano Solo and Duet, and Hallel, Contemporary Filipino Sacred Songs for Mixed Chorus.

He received the Gawad Chanselor Award as Pinakamahusay na Alagad ng Sining (Music Arts Category)
from the University of the Philippines in the year 2000.

His latest work is ​Mga Gintong Pamana for four pianos and eight players commissioned by Piano
Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines.
PROGRAMME

JOAQUIN TURINA Tres Poemas, op. 81

(1882-1949)
Olas gigantes
Tu pupila es azul
Besa el aura

RICHARD WAGNER Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91

(1813-1883)
Der Engel
Stehe still!
Im Treibhaus
Schmerzen
Träume

INTERVAL

ERNEST CHAUSSON Chanson perpétuelle, op. 37

(1855-1899)

GIUSEPPE VERDI Stornello

(1813-1901) Perduta ho la pace
Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata

WILLIAM BOLCOM Selections from Cabaret Songs 1& 2

(b.1938)
Over the Piano
Waitin’
Oh, Close the Curtain
George
PROGRAMME NOTES

JOAQUIN TURINA Tres Poemas, op. 81

(1882-1949)

A native of Seville, Turina is little-known today, overshadowed by his more famous compatriots
Albéniz, Falla and Granados. Not only was he part of an important and influential group of early
twentieth-century Spanish composers, he also possessed a beautiful and individual voice, one
that can be heard clearly in these songs.

Composed in 1933, ​Tres poemas, Op. 81 is based on the poetry of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, an
important figure in Spanish literature. ​Olas gigantes​ (Towering waves) is unabashedly wild and
tragic, while ​Tu pupila es azul (Your eyes are blue), with its lyrical phrases and guitar-like
accompaniment, evokes a wistful, dream-like atmosphere. ​Besa el aura​ (The gentle breeze), all
delicate figuration and vocal agility, completes the group.

Olas gigantes Gigantic Waves

Olas gigantes que os rompéis bramando Gigantic waves who throw yourselves roaring
En las playas desiertas y remotas, Onto the remote deserted beaches
Envuelto entre las sábanas de espuma, Enveloped among blankets of foam,
¡Llevadme con vosotras! Take me with you!

Ráfagas de huracán, que arrebatáis Blasts of the hurricane that tear

Del alto bosque las marchitas hojas, from the high woods the shrivelled leaves
Arrastrando en el ciego torbellino, Dragging them along in the blind whirlwind,
¡Llevadme con vosotras! Take me with you!

Nubes de tempestad que rompe el rayo Storm clouds broken by lightning

Y en fuego ornáis las desprendidas orlas, And decorating in fire the broken surf
Arrebatado entre la niebla oscura, Snatched from the dark mist
¡Llevadme con vosotras! Take me with you!

Llevadme, por piedad, adonde el vértigo Take me, for pity’s sake, to where vertigo
Con la razón me arranque la memoria. Can tear out memory and reason.
¡Por piedad! ... ¡Tengo miedo de quedarme For pity’s sake!...I am afraid to remain
Con mi dolor a solas, con mi dolor a solas! Alone with my grief, alone with my grief!

Tu pupila es azul How blue your eyes are

Tu pupila es azul y cuando ríes,
Su claridad suave me recuerda
El trémulo fulgor de la mañana
Que en el mar se refleja.
Te pupila es azul, y cuando lloras,
Las transparentes lágrimas en ella
Se me figuran gotas de rocío
Sobre una violeta.
Tu pupila es azul, y si en su fondo
Como un punto de luz radia una idea,
Me parece en el cielo de la tarde
¡Una perdida estrella!
Besa el aura que gime blandamente
Besa el aura que gime blandamente
las leves ondas que jugando riza;
el sol besa a la nube en occidente
y de púrpura y oro la matiza;
la llama en derredor del tronco ardiente
por besar a otra llama se desliza;
y hasta el sauce, inclinándose a su peso,
al río que le besa vuelve un beso.
How blue your eyes are, and when you laugh
How their soft clarity reminds me
Of the tremulous shine of morning
The sea reflects upon its waters.
How blue your eyes are, and when you cry
How the crystal tears that well up in them
seem to me the drops of dew
That collects upon a violet.
How blue your eyes are, and how their depths
Can radiate an idea like a point of light,
How much they seem to me a lost star
In the evening sky! Oh!
He kisses the breeze that groans softly
He kisses the breeze that groans softly
the light waves that playing he curls;
the sun kisses to the cloud in west
and of purple and gold qualifies it;
the flame around the ardent trunk
by kissing another flame slides;
and even the willow, being inclined to its weight,
to the river that kisses returns him a kiss.
RICHARD WAGNER Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91
(1813-1883)

Forced to flee his good job in Dresden for having taken the losing side in the uprising of 1848,
Wagner ended up in Zurich, where he had friends and patrons. Among these were the silk
merchant Otto Wesendonk and his wife Mathilde. In due course Wagner and Mathilde became
lovers, an affair that lasted through 1858: it was in part owing to this development that Wagner
abandoned work on ​Der Ring des Nibelungen​ in order to compose his great masterpiece on
illicit passion, ​Tristan und Isolde.​

Mathilde's poems come from the early days of his work on ​Tristan,​ and Wagner's setting of five
of them shows the harmonic idiom and philosophy of melody and phrase that were taking
shape in his mind at the time. For the publication of the songs in 1862 he marked two of them
"studies for ​Tristan und Isolde​": these were ​Im Treibhaus (In the Greenhouse), with material
used at the beginning of Act III, and ​Träume (Dreams), reused essentially unchanged at the
center of the love duet in act II.

The poems themselves are in a wistful, pathos-laden style influenced by ​Wilhelm Müller​, the
author of the poems used by ​Schubert​ earlier in the century. But the language is more rarefied
and intense as the ​Romantic​ style had developed. The other three works are ​Der Engel (The
Angel) composed in November 1857, ​Stehe still! ​(Stand still), composed February 1858 and
Schmerzen​ (Sorrows), composed December 1857.

Der Engel The angel

In der Kindheit frühen Tagen In childhood's early days,

Hört ich oft von Engeln sagen, I often heard them speak of angels,
Die des Himmels hehre Wonne Who would exchange Heaven's sublime bliss
Tauschen mit der Erdensonne, For the Earth's sun.

Daß, wo bang ein Herz in Sorgen So that, when an anxious heart in dread
Schmachtet vor der Welt verborgen, Is full of longing, hidden from the world;
Daß, wo still es will verbluten, So that, when it wishes silently to bleed
Und vergehn in Tränenfluten, And melt away in a trickle of tears,

Daß, wo brünstig sein Gebet So that, when its prayer ardently

Einzig um Erlösung fleht, Pleads only for release,
Da der Engel niederschwebt, Then the angel floats down
Und es sanft gen Himmel hebt. And gently lifts it to Heaven.

Ja, es stieg auch mir ein Engel nieder, Yes, an angel has come down to me,
Und auf leuchtendem Gefieder And on glittering wings
Führt er, ferne jedem Schmerz, It leads, far away from every pain,
Meinen Geist nun himmelwärts! My soul now heavenwards!
Stehe still!
Sausendes, brausendes Rad der Zeit,
Messer du der Ewigkeit;
Leuchtende Sphären im weiten All,
Die ihr umringt den Weltenball;
Urewige Schöpfung, halte doch ein,
Genug des Werdens, laß mich sein!
Halte an dich, zeugende Kraft,
Urgedanke, der ewig schafft!
Hemmet den Atem, stillet den Drang,
Schweiget nur eine Sekunde lang!
Schwellende Pulse, fesselt den Schlag;
Ende, des Wollens ew'ger Tag!
Daß in selig süßem Vergessen
Ich mög alle Wonnen ermessen!
Wenn Aug' in Auge wonnig trinken,
Seele ganz in Seele versinken;
Wesen in Wesen sich wiederfindet,
Und alles Hoffens Ende sich kündet,
Die Lippe verstummt in staunendem Schweigen,
Keinen Wunsch mehr will das Innre zeugen:
Erkennt der Mensch des Ew'gen Spur,
Und löst dein Rätsel, heil'ge Natur!
Schmerzen
Sonne, weinest jeden Abend
Dir die schönen Augen rot,
Wenn im Meeresspiegel badend
Dich erreicht der frühe Tod;
Doch erstehst in alter Pracht,
Glorie der düstren Welt,
Du am Morgen neu erwacht,
Wie ein stolzer Siegesheld!
Ach, wie sollte ich da klagen,
Wie, mein Herz, so schwer dich sehn,
Muß die Sonne selbst verzagen,
Muß die Sonne untergehn?
Be quiet!
Roaring and rushing wheel of time,
You are the measurer of Eternity;
Shining spheres in the wide universe,
You who surround the world globe,
Eternal creation, halt!
Enough development, let me be!
Cease, generative powers,
The primal thoughts which you are ever creating!
Slow your breathing, still your urge
Silently, only for a second long!
Swelling pulses, fetter your beating,
End, o eternal day of willing!
That in blessed, sweet forgetfulness,
I may measure all my bliss!
When one eye another drinks in bliss,
And one soul into another sinks,
One nature in another finds itself again,
And when each hope's fulfillment is finished,
When the lips are mute in astounded silence,
And no wish more does the heart invent,
Then man recognizes the sign of Eternity,
And solves your riddle, holy Nature!
Anguish
Sun, each evening you weep
Your pretty eyes red,
When, bathing in the mirror of the sea
You are seized by early death.
Yet you rise in all your splendor,
Glory of the gloomy world,
Newly awakening in the morning
Like a proud, victorious hero!
Ah, why should I then lament,
Why, my heart, are you so heavy,
If the sun itself must despair,
If the sun must set?
Und gebieret Tod nur Leben, And if Death gives rise only to Life,
Geben Schmerzen Wonne nur: And pain gives way only to bliss,
O wie dank ich, daß gegeben O how thankful I am, that
Solche Schmerzen mir Natur! Nature gives me such anguish!

Im Treibhaus In the greenhouse

Hochgewölbte Blätterkronen, High-vaulted crowns of leaves,

Baldachine von Smaragd, Canopies of emerald,
Kinder ihr aus fernen Zonen, You children of distant zones,
Saget mir, warum ihr klagt? Tell me, why do you lament?

Schweigend neiget ihr die Zweige, Silently you bend your branches,
Malet Zeichen in die Luft, Draw signs in the air,
Und der Leiden stummer Zeuge And the mute witness to your anguish -
Steiget aufwärts, süßer Duft. A sweet fragrance - rises.

Weit in sehnendem Verlangen In desirous longing, wide

Breitet ihr die Arme aus, You open your arms,
Und umschlinget wahnbefangen And embrace through insane predilection
Öder Leere nicht'gen Graus. The desolate, empty, horrible void.

Wohl, ich weiß es, arme Pflanze; I know well, poor plants,
Ein Geschicke teilen wir, A fate that we share,
Ob umstrahlt von Licht und Glanze, Though we bathe in light and radiance,
Unsre Heimat ist nicht hier! Our homeland is not here!

Und wie froh die Sonne scheidet And how gladly the sun departs
Von des Tages leerem Schein, From the empty gleam of the day,
Hüllet der, der wahrhaft leidet, He veils himself, he who suffers truly,
Sich in Schweigens Dunkel ein. In the darkness of silence.

Stille wird's, ein säuselnd Weben It becomes quiet, a whispered stirring

Füllet bang den dunklen Raum: Fills uneasily the dark room:
Schwere Tropfen seh ich schweben Heavy drops I see hovering
An der Blätter grünem Saum. On the green edge of the leaves.

Träume Dreams

Sag, welch wunderbare Träume Tell me, what kind of wondrous dreams
Halten meinen Sinn umfangen, are embracing my senses,
Daß sie nicht wie leere Schäume that have not, like sea-foam,
Sind in ödes Nichts vergangen? vanished into desolate Nothingness?

Träume, die in jeder Stunde, Dreams, that with each passing hour,
Jedem Tage schöner blühn, each passing day, bloom fairer,
Und mit ihrer Himmelskunde and with their heavenly tidings
Selig durchs Gemüte ziehn! roam blissfully through my heart!

Träume, die wie hehre Strahlen Dreams which, like holy rays of light
In die Seele sich versenken, sink into the soul,
Dort ein ewig Bild zu malen: there to paint an eternal image:
Allvergessen, Eingedenken! forgiving all, thinking of only One.

Träume, wie wenn Frühlingssonne Dreams which, when the Spring sun
Aus dem Schnee die Blüten küßt, kisses the blossoms from the snow,
Daß zu nie geahnter Wonne so that into unsuspected bliss
Sie der neue Tag begrüßt, they greet the new day,

Daß sie wachsen, daß sie blühen, so that they grow, so that they bloom,
Träumend spenden ihren Duft, and dreaming, bestow their fragrance,
Sanft an deiner Brust verglühen, these dreams gently glow and fade on your breast,
Und dann sinken in die Gruft. and then sink into the grave.
ERNEST CHAUSSON Chanson Perpétuelle, Op. 37
(1855-1899)

The Chanson perpétuelle, ​Op.​ 37 is a ​mélodie​ by ​Ernest Chausson​, written in December ​1898​. It
is one of the major ​vocal​-​orchestral​ works of Chausson, along with the ​Poème de l'amour et de
la mer.​ Besides the better-known version for ​soprano​ and orchestra, Chausson also wrote a
version for soprano, ​piano​ and ​string quartet​. The text comes from a poem by ​Charles Cros​,
describing the suffering of an abandoned woman.

It is the last completed work by Chausson, as he left his ​String Quartet​, Op. 35, unfinished. The
work was dedicated to the singer ​Jeanne Raunay​, who gave the premiere on January 28 or 29,
1899. Half a year later, Chausson himself died in an accident. The score was not published until
1911.

Chanson Perpétuelle Perpetual Song

Bois frissonnants, ciel étoilé, Trembling trees, starry sky

Mon bien-aimé s'en est allé, My beloved has gone away
Emportant mon cœur désolé! Bearing with him my desolate heart.

Vents, que vos plaintives rumeurs, Winds, let your plaintive noises
Que vos chants, rossignols charmeurs, Let your songs, charming nightingales,
Aillent lui dire que je meurs! Tell him that I die.

Le premier soir qu'il vint ici The first night he came here,
Mon âme fut à sa merci. My soul was at his mercy;
De fierté je n'eus plus souci. I no longer cared about my pride.

Mes regards étaient pleins d'aveux. My glances were full of promise.

Il me prit dans ses bras nerveux He took me into his trembling arms
Et me baisa près des cheveux. And kissed me near the hair.

J'en eus un grand frémissement; I felt a great quivering.

Et puis, je ne sais plus comment And then, I don't know how
Il est devenu mon amant. He became my lover.

Je lui disais: « Tu m'aimeras I said to him: "You will love me

Aussi longtemps que tu pourras! » As long as you are able."
Je ne dormais bien qu'en ses bras. I never slept as well as in his arms.

Mais lui, sentant son cœur éteint, But he, feeling his heart fade,
S'en est allé l'autre matin, Left the other day
Sans moi, dans un pays lointain. Without me, for a foreign land.

Puisque je n'ai plus mon ami, Since I no longer have my friend,

Je mourrai dans l'étang, parmi I will die in this pool, among
Les fleurs, sous le flot endormi. The flowers under the sleeping current.

Sur le bord arrêtée, au vent Arriving on the shoreline,

Je dirai son nom, en rêvant I will speak his name to the wind,
Que là je l'attendis souvent. In a dream that I await him there.

Et comme en un linceul doré, And like in a gilded shroud

Dans mes cheveux défaits, au gré With hair tousled at the wind's whim,
Du flot je m'abandonnerai. I will let myself go.

Les bonheurs passés verseront The happy hours of the past

Leur douce lueur sur mon front; will glimmer on my face,
Et les joncs verts m'enlaceront. And the green reeds will entrap me.

Et mon sein croira, frémissant And my breast, shuddering under the caress
Sous l'enlacement caressant, of their entwinement,
Subir l'étreinte de l'absent. will believe it submits to the embrace of the one who left.
GIUSEPPE VERDI Stornello
(1813-1901) Perduta ho la pace
Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata

Giuseppe Verdi was a highly-expressive Italian composer of the 19th century. He was a
composer of ​operas,​ a music director, librettist, senator, highly-revered musician, rich but
charitable artist and in his own words "a peasant from Roncole.” Being both musical and
political, he is famous for the themes of freedom, heroism, love and liberty which are evident in
his works.

Stornello is a sprightly song with text from an unknown poet. ​It is the outspoken song of a
woman who has broken free of an unrequited love, and who is proclaiming that she is as far out
of love with the man she once cared for as he is out of love with her. The words are set in short,
impudent phrases over a staccato-paced accompaniment.

Perduta ho la pace ​is a setting of Gretchen's lament at the spinning wheel from Goethe's Faust,
in an Italian translation by Luigi Balestra. This is a translation of the same text that Schubert set
in his famous song Gretchen am Spinnrade. ​Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata ​is a setting of
Gretchen's prayer to the Virgin Mary. ​The texts from these two songs were translated by Luigi
Balestra from Goethe’s ​Faust a​ nd are included in Verdi’s vocal suite, ​Sei Romanze.

Stornello Rhyme

Tu dici che non m'ami... anch'io non t'amo... You say that you don't love me, so I don't love you...
Dici non vi vuoi ben, non te ne voglio. You say that you reject me, so I reject you.
Dici ch'a un altro pesce hai teso l'amo. You'll have your fish-hook set for other fishes
Anch'io in altro giardin la rosa coglio. So I will pick new roses in other gardens.

Anco di questo vo'che ci accordiamo: Let us agree about it, now, together:
Tu fai quel che ti pare, io quel che voglio. You behave as you like an' I'll do as you do.
Son libero di me, padrone è ognuno. I'll devote to myself, each one commands me,
Servo di tutti e non servo a nessuno. Servant to everyone, but I won't serve for anyone.

Costanza nell'amor è una follia; A constant love affair is only madness

Volubile io sono e me ne vanto.
Non tremo più scontrandoti per via,
Né, quando sei lontan mi struggo in pianto.
Come usignuol che uscì di prigionia
Tutta la notte e il dì folleggio e canto.
Inconstantly I live with pride and boldness
I won't be scared of you if I will meet you
I won't cry anymore if you shall leave me,
just like a nightingale out of his cage
All night and day long I'll rejoice and twitter.

Perduta ho la pace My peace is gone

Perduta ho la pace, My peace is gone,
ho in cor mille guai; My heart is heavy,
Ah, no, più non spero I will find it never
trovarla più mai. and never more.

M'è buio di tomba Where I do not have him,

ov'egli non è; That is the grave,
Senz'esso un deserto The whole world
è il mondo per me. Is bitter to me.

Mio povero capo My poor head

confuso travolto; Is crazy to me,
Oh misera, il senno, My poor mind
il senno m'è tolto! Is torn apart.

Perduta ho la pace, My peace is gone,

ho in cor mille guai; My heart is heavy,
Ah, no, più non spero I will find it never
trovarla più mai. and never more.

S'io sto al finestrello, For him only, I look

ho gl'occhi a lui solo; Out the window
S'io sfuggo di casa, Only for him do I go
sol dietro a lui volo. Out of the house.

Oh, il bel portamento; His tall walk,

oh, il vago suo viso! His noble figure,
Qual forza è nei sguardi, His mouth's smile,
che dolce sorriso! His eyes' power,

E son le parole And his mouth's

un magico rio; Magic flow,
Qual stringer di mano, His handclasp,
qual bacio, mio Dio! and ah! his kiss!

Perduta ho la pace, My peace is gone,

ho in cor mille guai; My heart is heavy,
Ah, no, più non spero I will find it never
trovarla più mai. and never more.

Anela congiungersi My bosom urges itself

al suo il mio petto; toward him.
Potessi abbracciarlo, Ah, might I grasp
tenerlo a me stretto! And hold him!
Baciarlo potessi,
far pago il desir!
Baciarlo! e potessi
baciata morir.
Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata
Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata,
China il guardo al mio dolore;
Tu, una spada fitta in core,
Volgi gl'occhi desolata
Al morente tuo figliuol.
Quelle occhiate, i sospir vanno
Lassù al padre e son preghiera
Che il suo tempri ed il tuo affanno.
Come a me squarcin le viscere
Gl'insoffribili miei guai
E dell'ansio petto i palpiti
Chi comprendere può mai?
Di che trema il cor? Che vuol?
Ah! tu sola il sai, tu sol!
Sempre, ovunque il passo io giro,
Qual martiro, qual martiro
Qui nel sen porto con me!
Solitaria appena, oh, quanto
Verso allora, oh, quanto pianto
E di dentro scoppia il cor.
Sul vasel del finestrino
La mia la crima scendea
Quando all'alba del mattino
Questi fior per te cogliea,
Chè del sole il primo raggio
La mia stanza rischiarava
E dal letto mi cacciava
Agitandomi il dolor.
Ah, per te dal disonore,
Dalla morte io sia salvata.
Deh, pietoso al mio dololre
China il guardo, oh Addolorata!
And kiss him,
As I would wish,
At his kisses
I should die!
Oh, with mercy, Oh Woman of Griefs
Oh, with mercy, Oh Woman of Griefs
Lower your glance towards my pains
Thou , heart-crossed by a sword
Address your eyes , oh desolate
To a son of yours that dies.
All those glances, all that sighing
Turn to God and become prayers
That will temper his and your pity.
Why do my unbearable troubles
Keep on breaking my bowels
And who will be able to understand
The anxieties of my breast?
What is shaking my heart? What's going on?
Ah! You alone know it, you alone!
Always , wherever I walk or go,
So huge a torment and martyrdom
I bear here in my breast!
Alone then, Oh, how long
I keep on crying, Oh, so many tears
And inside my heart is just like bursting.
On the vase there near the window
My sole tear began to fall
When inside the morning dawn
I just picked for you there flowers,
When the first new morning sun ray
Lit up my room clearly,
And out of bed it always threw me
Whippering all my pains.
Ah, with your graceful intervention
May I be save from dishonor and death
Oh with mercy towards my pains
Lower your glance, Oh Woman of Griefs.
WILLIAM BOLCOM (b.1938) Selections from Cabaret Songs 1&2

William Bolcom is a composer of cabaret songs, concertos, sonatas, operas, symphonies, and
much more. He was awarded the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Twelve New Etudes for
piano. He was likewise named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America, and honored
with multiple Grammy Awards for his setting of William Blake’s poetry, ​Songs of Innocence and
of Experience.

“Cabaret songs” is a collection of songs primarily for the classical singer to perform in recital
with piano accompaniment. This compilation of songs were written from 1977-1985. The songs
are in a medium voice range, and could probably be performed by any voice type, although
mezzo-sopranos will find them most suitable. The music has quite a theatrical flair, although it
is in a contemporary classical style. Distinctive repertoire with a twist. Arnold Weinstein's texts
are as pithy as Bolcom's settings of them.