Lang, a cofounder of bang on a can, won the pulitzer prize for music for the little match girl passion, a meditation on death written for four voices and percussion. The album is actually two works the death speaks cycle of five songs, and a separate, longer work, depart. Album artwork for david langs death speaks denise burt. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Death speaks by various artists on amazon music amazon. The end result is plainly titled death speaks and is a beautiful, chilling collection of tracks that glide through the air in a way that would make it seem like they were floating if were they real figures. Composer david lang offers something for both head and heart and goes one step further in his new song cycle, death speaks. David lang, death speaks with help from franz schubert and four stellar musicians, david lang ponders the afterlife. Death s words are given human shape through the otherworldly. Powerful pianists, and a date with death the boston globe. He put them together into a song cycle whichdespite the darkness of the subject matteris uplifting.
Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at. Hear the pulitzer prizewinning composers new album in its. Featuring four solo vocalists with maya beiser on multitracked cellos, the music offers a lifeaffirming meditative ambience intended to help family members deal with the death of a loved one. Death speaks by bryce dessner, nico muhly, owen pallett. I really wanted to be able to share this song with people. Death speaks was commissioned specifically to go on a program with my piece the little match girl passion. Pulitzer prizewinning composer david langs new album, death speaks, features shara worden of my brightest diamond, the nationals. Arjan although death speaks is the center piece of this record, starring the wonderful shara worden, from the first listen the last song here, depart, has caught my attention. January 25, 2012 bryce dessner, shara worden, nico muhly, and owen pallett theatre of voices, paul hillier, cond. D eath is present in so many of schuberts lieder, and those appearances provide the starting point for the five songs that make up david lang s death speaks.
Pain changes every shape once you are truly lonely you will never be alone feel my hand i feel you touch my cold hand i will take you from. Lang composed this song cycle a commission from carnegie hall and stanford lively arts, premiered at both in late january, 2012 as a companion piece to the little match girl passion. Just as his little match girl passion employed a palimpsest of bach texts, so david lang s fivesong suite death speaks derives directly from schubert lieder, reconstituting proclamations in a. Ill get death speaks as a perk of my subscription, and im free to unsubscribe at any time. Lang s work does not escape the darkness of death, yet somehow manages to endow it with a strange intimacy and extraordinary beauty. Death speaks is a song cycle ofsorts by american composerwriter david lang.
There was a merchant in bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white. David lang death speaks owen pallett, shara worden. David lang s new album, death speaks, comes out april 30. Courtesy of the artist audio for this feature is no longer available. Its the perfect slow and wordless ending to the loneliness and sadness of death purveyed in the first part. Nmd performs david langs death speaks with special guest, shara worden. Although we all eventually face death, its a topic most avoid. For my ears, one of most striking features of david lang s music is its austerity. Update required to play the media you will need to either update. Setting the fragments of schuberts text to his own music, lang enlists a roster of artists from the disparate musical worlds of new york city including my brightest diamond vocalist. Composer david lang found the inspiration for death speaks by combing though the immense songbook of 19th century austrian composer franz schubert with an eye for lyrics that personified death. Listen to and download the shadow radio program, death. In 2012, david lang spent so much time racking up awards from carnegie halls 2014 debs composers chair to musical americas composer of the year that its a wonder he was able to wrangle a project of the size and scope of death speaks.
Commissioned by carnegie hall and stanford lively arts to go on a program with his piece the little. Death speaks by david lang released in 20 via cantaloupe. Death speaks is my first exposure to composer david lang s work, and i must say i am very impressed. David lang went through all of schuberts lieder and clipped out the texts where the figure of death speaks. Get the guaranteed best price on classical vinyl like the david lang death speaks at musicians friend. Pulitzer prizewinning composer david lang s new album, death speaks, features shara worden of my brightest diamond, the nationals bryce dessner, nico. Provided to youtube by naxos of america death speaks. Setting the fragments of schuberts text to his own music, lang enlists a roster of artists from the disparate musical worlds of new york city including my brightest diamond vocalist shara worden. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes.
These five haunting pieces hang in the air like a frozen last breath. David lang death speaks 2011 music sales classical. Its the perfect slow and wordless ending to the loneliness and sadness of death purveyed in. David lang death speaks cd classical composers 7746309220. Commissioned by carnegie hall and stanford lively arts to go on a program with his piece the little match girl passion, death speaks draws its initial inspiration from the work of schubert specifically the song death and the maiden. You will return by david lang and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. I couldnt find it anywhere when i tried to look it up myself. With great kindness and compassion, she invites us to come and join her and be returned to dust. I do not think lang s personification of death in the ghostly voice of shara worden, or the presentation of the warm embrace of the grave as a sort of womb, should be considered deathist, even if death in his work is sometimes represented as. Composer david lang found the inspiration for death speaks by combing though the immense songbook of 19th century austrian composer. As a companion to the fivepart death speaks, lang also composed depart, the second piece on the cd. The text for the five movements are all drawn from schubert lieder in which death speaks to the living. As a companion to the fivepart death speaks, lang also composed depart, the second piece on.
Text by david lang soprano, vln, egtr, pno all amplified. In the program notes for the song cycle death speaks recording released on april 30 via cantaloupe music composer david lang asks, what would it be like to put together an ensemble of successful indie composerperformers and invite them back. Death speaks, a song cycle by david lang inspired by the songs of schubert in which death features as a flesh and blood character who often speaks, rather than a faceless metaphor. I have heard interviews with lang where he speaks about eschewing a specific emotional context for his music and writing music in which the listener provides their own unique emotional response to the work. Includes unlimited streaming of death speaks via the free bandcamp app, plus highquality download in mp3, flac and more. Death speaks, an album by david lang, various artists on spotify. There was a merchant in bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling and said, master, just now when i was. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of items.
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