Dirait-on Abandon entouré d’abandon, Abandon surrounding abandon, tencdlresse touchant aux tendresses... tenclerness touching tenderness C'est ton intérieur qui sans eesse Your oneness endlessly se caresse, dirait-on; caresses itself, so they say’ se caress en soi-méme, self-caressing par son proper reflet éclairé through its own clear reflection. Ainsi tu inventes le théme Thus you invent the theme du Nareisse exaucé. of Narcissus fulfitfed, Rainer Matia Rilke, fiom Les Rases English translation by Barbara and Prica Muh In addition to his vast output of German poetry, Rilke (1875-1926) wrote nearly 400 poems in French, His poems on roses struck me as especially charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. These exquisite poems are primarily light, joyous and playful, and the musieal settings are designed to enhance these characteristies and capture their delicate beauty and sensuousness. Distinct melodic and harmonic materials recur throughout the cycle, especially between Rilke’s poignant Contre Out, Rose (set as a wistful nocturne) and his moving La Rose Complete. The final piece, Dirait-on, is composed ns a tuneful chanson populaire, of folksong, that weaves together two melodic ideas first heard in fragmentary form in preceding movements, Les Chansons des Roses was composed for Portland, Oregon’s superb professional chamber chorus, Choral Cross-Ties, conducted by Bruce Browne, who gave the premiere on April 23, 1993. Dirait-on is published in yersions for mixed chorus (SATB), men’s chorus (TTBB) and treble chorus (SSAA). It also exists as a song for high or medium voice and piano, high voice and guitar, and as a duet for mixed high or medium voices and piano. —Morten Lauridsen ‘Los Angeles ‘Composer Morten Lauridsen is most noted for his seven vocal cycles—Les Chansons des Roses, Madrigali, Mid-Winter Songs, Cuatro Canciones, A Winter Come, Nocturnes, and Lux Aeterna — and his series of « cappella motets which are regularly performed by distinguished ensembles and vocal artists throughout the world. His O Magaum Mysteritan and Dirait-on have become two of the most performed and recorded compositions of recent years. “Lux Aeterna,” a CD of his ‘compositions record by the Los Angeles Mastet Chorale conducted by Paul Salamunovich, was 4 Grammy nominee in 1998. Mr, Lauridsen (b. 1943) is Professor of Composition at the University of Southem California Thorton School of Music and served as Composer-in- Residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale fiom 1994 fo 2001. 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