On Wednesday, September 8, 2021 a group of talented musicians assembled at WGBH’s Fraser Performance Studio to record the string ensemble version of “Introspections” (details about the work can be found in the previous 5 posts). Conducted by Heinrich Christensen, the fifteen string players also performed as accompanists to the wonderful Emily Marvosh for her mesmerizing rendition of my setting of William Shakespeare’s sonnet 116. This “add-on” to the recording session became one of the high points of the evening’s efforts, as evidenced by the video above.

This setting for singer and chamber strings was adapted from a work commissioned by soprano Mary Ann Lanier in 2006. That work, Be My Love: Songs of Love, Lust, and Other Folly, was originally scored for soprano and string trio and included settings of 4 Shakespeare poems and 2 poems by Christopher Marlowe. Since the premiere in 2006, the setting of sonnet 116 has proved the most popular, receiving performances in multiple arrangements include one for organ and voice, and one with choral accompaniment. This adaptation for chamber strings is perhaps my favorite.