“Kallor is a true craftsman of American art song... these songs show that he excels as a miniaturist, creating vivid worlds and characters in mere minutes.”
This celebration of music and literature features Kallor's acclaimed settings of poems by Emily Dickinson, Clementine Von Radics, Christina Rossetti, Sara Teasdale, Elinor Wylie, Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, and William Butler Yeats paired with classic art songs and fresh takes on folk songs. Recent collaborators include mezzo-sopranos Jennifer Johnson Cano, Daniela Mack, and Adriana Zabala; soprano Melody Moore; baritones Ed Parks, Joshua Jeremiah, and Matthew Worth, and others.
CLICK HERE for a complete list of poets and songs.
“Kallor’s and Zabala’s magical performance shrunk the hall to the size of an intimate club… The highlight of the evening was the final section, “Exhilaration,” a song-cycle of nine poems by Emily Dickinson. The duo performed them without pause, and their delivery was spectacular… This provided a mesmerizing conclusion to a concert where everything the performers touched turned into gold.”
GREGG’S improvised ARRANGEMENT OF
“black is the color of my true love’s hair”
w/mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala
The Tell-Tale Heart is the premiere recording of Kallor’s acclaimed adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling short story, performed by the composer with soprano Melody Moore and cellist Joshua Roman, recorded by GRAMMY®-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. A celebration of music and literature, the album also features the first recording of Kallor’s eleven new song-settings of poems by Sara Teasdale, Elinor Wylie, Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, William Butler Yeats, as well as the young phenomenon Clementine Von Radics' "A Prayer," which Moore premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Exhilaration - Dickinson and Yeats Songs is the premiere recording of Kallor's acclaimed song-cycles of poems by Emily Dickinson and William Butler Yeats, sung by mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala. The album also features Kallor's setting of Christina Rossetti's poem "Song," and a "Lullaby" with lyrics by GRAMMY®-winner Herschel Garfein.
“Gregg Kallor is a splendid writer of songs. You find in his Yeats and Dickinson settings the virtues you look for in songs new or old but rarely find in such abundance: a fine-tuned ear, able writing for the voice, great imagination in piano color and texture, and steady sensitivity to the poetry. Most impressive of all, to my ears anyway, Kallor writes songs in which the voice part is the prime focus, partly because he is a true melodist (a rare quality always, more so in the last fifty years), equally because the vocal lines are distinctive and expressive and closely knit to the harmony. Sensitivity, subtlety, and consistency—these are his kind of qualities, and they’re ones we need. So is beauty, and when you’ve heard Kallor’s songs that’s generally the first word that comes to mind.”
The right words can clarify, heighten, and define our sensations in a way that gives them deeper and more lasting meaning. It’s exhilarating to find those words conveyed so eloquently, so poignantly, so perfectly in the works of Emily Dickinson, Clementine von Radics, Christina Rossetti, Sara Teasdale, Elinor Wylie, Stephen Crane, William Butler Yeats, Mark Twain, and others. These poets speak to me; they speak for me. They make me feel that I’m not alone.
The specificity and intimacy of setting words to music has deepened my connection to the extraordinary work of these poets; sharing these songs deepens my connection to those of you who are kind enough to give me a few moments of your focused attention – for which I am so grateful. I hope that this music speaks to you.
Emily Dickinson once asked, “Do I paint it natural?” I have tried to preserve, as much as possible, the unique voice of this extraordinary poet. I hope these songs paint it natural.
“[These songs] are simply beautiful and poignant works that I hope more people hear... Well crafted? Definitely. Entertaining? Yes. Well performed? Absolutely. Lyrical? You bet.”