And the Barriers Had Vanished
Voice
solo voice with obbligato instrument
work detail
instrumentation: soprano and cello
completion date: december 2011
duration: 25 minutes
texts: Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) from 'A Mightier than Mammon' in "Towards Democracy" (1918); "Timarion" Meleager (1st century BCE) from Poems of Meleager (1890) trs. Walter Headlem; C.P. Cavafy (1863-1932) "He Asked About the Quality"; John Symonds
events
CONCERT: DANIELLE BUONAIUTO, SOPRANO, AND JULES BIBER, CELLO
Danielle Bounaiuto & Jules Biber
CUNY Graduate Center - Elebash Hall - New York, NY
7:30 pm
Soprano Danielle Buonaiuto and cellist Jules Biber perform works by Jessie Montgomery, Sofia Gubaidulina, Heather Gilligan, Dominick DiOrio (And the Barriers Had Vanished...), Leilehua Lanzilotti, and Jessica Meyer, as well as folk song arrangements, in Elebash Hall. More information here.
audio
And the Barriers Had Vanished - I: Prelude / II: And this is of a boy who sat in school
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - III: Timarion
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - IV: He asked about the quality
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - V: Clifton and a Lad's Love
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - VI: Alexis
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - VII: Postlude: "And the barriers had vanished"
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished
Recorded live, January 2018. Chris LaRosa, engineer.
videos
And the Barriers Had Vanished - Movement 4 - "He asked about the quality"
And the barriers had vanished
Rachel Mikol, soprano
Graham Cullen, cello
performances
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Penn State University - University Park, PA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Lone Star College-Montgomery - Conroe, TX
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
University of Georgia - Athens, GA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Midtown Scholars Bookstore - Harrisburg, PA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Music at Salem - Salem, NY
unMET: Opera for the 21st Century
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Anna Ward, soprano & Michael Dahlberg, cello
Erin Huelskamp, director; Lidiya Yankovskaya, musical director
Bentley University - Executive Dining Room LaCava Campus Center - Waltham, MA
unMET: Opera for the 21st Century
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Anna Ward, soprano & Michael Dahlberg, cello
Erin Huelskamp, director; Lidiya Yankovskaya, musical director
Club Oberon - Cambridge, MA
International Festival for Contemporary Performance
Mannes College of Music
Meredith Mecum, soprano & Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Mannes Concert Hall - 150 W 8th St - New York, NY
Rachel Mikol, soprano and Graham Cullen, cello
Faculty Art Song Recital
Auer Concert Hall - IU Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, IN
Rachel Mikol, soprano and Graham Cullen, cello
PD Recital - Rachel Mikol
Auer Concert Hall - IU Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, IN
Anna Ward, soprano and Drew Ricciardi, viola
Middlesex Community College Concert Hall - Bedford, MA
scores
commission
Commissioned by and dedicated to Justin Dougherty, violoncellist and Meredith Mecum, soprano.
2013 Boston Metro Opera "Advocacy Award" - Art Song / Song Cycle Category
movement / song titles
1, 2. Prelude / And this is of a boy who sat in school
3. Timarion
4. He asked about the quality
5. Clifton and a Lad's Love
6. Alexis
7. Postlude: "And the barriers had vanished"
program note
The genesis of this project is remarkably serendipitous. Justin had been on the lookout for openly-gay composers who might be interested in writing works for his Queering the Pitch recital series. It just so happens that he found my website through a friend and felt compelled to write me an email to gauge my interest in the project. Inspired by the thought of writing a song cycle for soprano and violoncello, I responded quickly that I would be most delighted to do so!
“And the barriers had vanished” is an exploration of the many facets of love in hiding. The texts are diverse, drawn from a selection of poets whose words touch on themes of passion, coming-of-age, secrecy, forbidden desire, and exultation. The music is mostly my own, with the exception of the fifth song. There I borrow the entirety of the “Andante lento” from Benjamin Britten’s Second Suite for Cello, Op. 80, so that I may allow the text to draw parallels with Britten’s own internal conflicts. As with the Britten, I have recently been fascinated with the layering of new material over older musical material. I do the same thing to my own original music between the Prelude and the Postlude, where the soprano voice can no longer hold in her glee, but must interrupt the former violoncello solo to proclaim her joy.
The music is dedicated gratefully to Meredith and Justin.
information
events
CONCERT: DANIELLE BUONAIUTO, SOPRANO, AND JULES BIBER, CELLO
Danielle Bounaiuto & Jules Biber
CUNY Graduate Center - Elebash Hall - New York, NY
7:30 pm
Soprano Danielle Buonaiuto and cellist Jules Biber perform works by Jessie Montgomery, Sofia Gubaidulina, Heather Gilligan, Dominick DiOrio (And the Barriers Had Vanished...), Leilehua Lanzilotti, and Jessica Meyer, as well as folk song arrangements, in Elebash Hall. More information here.
audio
And the Barriers Had Vanished - I: Prelude / II: And this is of a boy who sat in school
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - III: Timarion
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - IV: He asked about the quality
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - V: Clifton and a Lad's Love
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - VI: Alexis
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished - VII: Postlude: "And the barriers had vanished"
Meredith Mecum and Justin Dougherty, recorded at the University of Georgia, April 2012
And the Barriers Had Vanished
Recorded live, January 2018. Chris LaRosa, engineer.
videos
And the Barriers Had Vanished - Movement 4 - "He asked about the quality"
And the barriers had vanished
Rachel Mikol, soprano
Graham Cullen, cello
performances
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Penn State University - University Park, PA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Lone Star College-Montgomery - Conroe, TX
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
University of Georgia - Athens, GA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Midtown Scholars Bookstore - Harrisburg, PA
Meredith Mecum, soprano and Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Music at Salem - Salem, NY
unMET: Opera for the 21st Century
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Anna Ward, soprano & Michael Dahlberg, cello
Erin Huelskamp, director; Lidiya Yankovskaya, musical director
Bentley University - Executive Dining Room LaCava Campus Center - Waltham, MA
unMET: Opera for the 21st Century
Juventas New Music Ensemble
Anna Ward, soprano & Michael Dahlberg, cello
Erin Huelskamp, director; Lidiya Yankovskaya, musical director
Club Oberon - Cambridge, MA
International Festival for Contemporary Performance
Mannes College of Music
Meredith Mecum, soprano & Justin Dougherty, violoncello
Mannes Concert Hall - 150 W 8th St - New York, NY
Rachel Mikol, soprano and Graham Cullen, cello
Faculty Art Song Recital
Auer Concert Hall - IU Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, IN
Rachel Mikol, soprano and Graham Cullen, cello
PD Recital - Rachel Mikol
Auer Concert Hall - IU Jacobs School of Music - Bloomington, IN
Anna Ward, soprano and Drew Ricciardi, viola
Middlesex Community College Concert Hall - Bedford, MA
scores
published
commission
Commissioned by and dedicated to Justin Dougherty, violoncellist and Meredith Mecum, soprano.
2013 Boston Metro Opera "Advocacy Award" - Art Song / Song Cycle Category
movement / song titles
1, 2. Prelude / And this is of a boy who sat in school
3. Timarion
4. He asked about the quality
5. Clifton and a Lad's Love
6. Alexis
7. Postlude: "And the barriers had vanished"
program note
The genesis of this project is remarkably serendipitous. Justin had been on the lookout for openly-gay composers who might be interested in writing works for his Queering the Pitch recital series. It just so happens that he found my website through a friend and felt compelled to write me an email to gauge my interest in the project. Inspired by the thought of writing a song cycle for soprano and violoncello, I responded quickly that I would be most delighted to do so!
“And the barriers had vanished” is an exploration of the many facets of love in hiding. The texts are diverse, drawn from a selection of poets whose words touch on themes of passion, coming-of-age, secrecy, forbidden desire, and exultation. The music is mostly my own, with the exception of the fifth song. There I borrow the entirety of the “Andante lento” from Benjamin Britten’s Second Suite for Cello, Op. 80, so that I may allow the text to draw parallels with Britten’s own internal conflicts. As with the Britten, I have recently been fascinated with the layering of new material over older musical material. I do the same thing to my own original music between the Prelude and the Postlude, where the soprano voice can no longer hold in her glee, but must interrupt the former violoncello solo to proclaim her joy.
The music is dedicated gratefully to Meredith and Justin.
