Music from the Heart
Song cycle opus 88 for eight voices, eight instruments and heartbeats contains the following eight poems and a wordless finale: ' heb vaak in stilte (opus 4 number 4) by Ann Missorten for alto voice and clarinet, Krus ng Aking Ina by Franco Coralde Sangreo for baritone and guitar, Se Ora by Patrizia Cavalli for soprano and vibraphone, By the Temple by Wang Wei for tenor and piccolo flute, Féline Colère (opus 69) by Nathalie Racine for soprano and horn, Song of the Open Road (opus 62) by Walt Whitman for countertenor and piano, Winter Love by Moon Jeong Hee for soprano and cello, and In Praise of Sake by Åtomo Tabito for bass baritone and percussion.
Programme notes
Music from the Heart is a cycle of eight happy songs that explore different facet of human love. Most love songs deal with pain, absence, bereavement. Robert Casteels chose to explore positive expressions of human love: the maternal love for her new born child, the filial love of a grateful son for his mother, sapphic love, the love for fine liquor, the erotic love of a woman for a man from the lady's point of view, the love of a man for a man and finally a man's love for a lady and for nature. Each poem is sung in its original language. Robert went a literal step further by alternating the songs with pre-recorded sequences of sounds of human ill heart beats, entitled pathos.
Programme booklet of the premiere
see Music from the Heart: special project (2012) under Articles
Handwritten sketches and drafts
to be found on pages 36, 313 and 307 of the red cover, A4 size, 377 pages sketchbook
Completion of the composition
10-II-2012
Recordings
link #1 'k Heb Vaak in Stilte opus 88 nr 1
link #2 Happy End opus 88 nr 9
Original creation by designer Neol Leung Yick Chuen [2013] (reproduced with the permission of the designer)
Duration:
40'
Composed In:
2012
Dedicated to:
Parts:
For score and parts, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>
First performance:
15.07.12 Recital Hall, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
First performed by:
Anna Koor, Edwin Cruz, Sabrina Zuber, Joseph Yap, Lim Yan Ting, Brendan-Keefe Au, Jeong Ae Ree and Masahiro Mita (singers)
Commissioned by:
979-0-90165-8-6 (full score) and 979-0-9016516-2-3 (parts)
Download Link: