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| Music of Eliane Aberdam: VOICES FROM THE OCEAN STATE |
| Group Name |
University of Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Sinfonietta, Sand and Sea Opera Ensemble |
| Conductor |
Luis Viquez |
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Album ID - 58351-MCD |
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| ALBUM NOTES |
1. In Memoriam, Concerto for Violin
Alexey Shabalin, Violin
Les bons augures
2. I. Sans trainer
3. II. Tres expressif
4. III. Allegro
Kadishanta
5. I. Yitgadal
6. II. Requiem
7. III. Yhey shmey rabbah
8. Otohime, Concerto for Contrabass
Joseph Bentley, Contrabass
Frontieres de sable et de mer
Logan Trotter, Soprano - Mark Conley, Tenor - Devon Russo, Bass
9. Chere Ramita
10. Les Etoiles
11. Nouveau ne
12. Adieu
13. Courage
14. Nous navons plus de force
15. Mon Corps
16. Nous partageons ta peine
17. Bureau
18. Tempete
19. Disparus
20. Sans visa
Dear Listener, Welcome to Voices from the Ocean State, a CD that brings together five works spanning myth, memory, and hope, performed at the University of Rhode Island by various ensembles under the direction of Luis Viquez.
This album is, in many ways, a portrait of a place and a partnership. Every note here was recorded at URI, and every performance reflects Mr. Viquez's remarkable ability to draw out the full emotional range of this music, from the mythic to the elegiac, from grief to hope.
The program opens with Les Bons Augures, performed by the University of Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra (URISO). Its title evokes the ancient Roman augurs, who sought meaning in the patterns of nature to discern the will of the gods. Rather than predicting a specific destiny, the music invites listeners into a world of suggestion and possibility, where shifting motives (jazzy, rhythmic, or ponderous), gestures, and evolving sonorities, as in the second movement, become symbolic signs whose meaning gradually unfolds. It is followed by Kaddishanta, performed by the Rhode Island Sinfonietta. A mourning cantique to the memory of my father, the piece is rooted in the tradition of the Kaddish and the Catholic requiem, featuring Logan Trotter as soloist. URISO returns with In Memoriam (for the Ukrainian Fighters, Hope, Fallen Ones), a violin concerto written in tribute to those who have fought, hoped, and been lost, featuring the extraordinary violinist Alexey Shabalin as soloist. The music moves between mourning and resolve. The Rhode Island Sinfonietta then takes up Otohime, a concerto for double bass drawn from the Japanese legend of the sea princess who rules the tides from her palace beneath the waves, featuring the remarkable double bassist Joseph Bentley as soloist. The recording closes with excerpts from my opera Frontieres de sable et de mer, performed by the Sand and Sea Opera Ensemble with soloists Devon Russo (baritone), Mark Conley (tenor), and Logan Trotter (soprano). The opera tells the story of the refugee crisis through Ramita, a young mother who crosses mountains, deserts, and seas in search of safety. It is a work about resilience, loss, and, above all, hope.
Together, these five works trace a double arc: from grief and loss (Kaddishanta, In Memoriam, and Frontieres de sable et de mer) to myth and legend (Les Bons Augures, Otohime). I am deeply grateful to Mr. Viquez, URISO, the Rhode Island Sinfonietta, the Sand and Sea Opera Ensemble, and all the soloists who gave this music its life.
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