CONTRE QUI ROSE (AGAINST WHOM ROSE) SATB

In addition to his vast output of German poetry, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) composed 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 musical settings are designed to enhance th ese characteristics and capture the delicate beauty and sensuousness of the poetry. Distinct melodic and harmonic materials recur throughout thecycle, especially between Rilke's poignant “Contre qui, rose&rdqu o; (set as a wistful nocturne) and his moving “La rose complète.” The final piece, “Dirait-on,” is composed as a tuneful chanson populaire, or folksong, that weaves together two melodicideas first heard in fragmentary form in preceding movements.

-- Morten Lauridsen