Reflections
April 8, 2017 at Wagner College
Connor's recital Reflections presents the image of an hourglass, where the sand which flows within is the passage of events and time; flipping the hourglass to recreate the flow of this sand is to examine the events as memories. The first half of the program features Poulenc's Tel jour, telle nuit and four selections from Franz Schubert's Winterreise to create a narrative: surreal moments within a perfect love are ultimately brought to a crushing end, leaving one man to die alone in the cold.
The second half examines the elements of which the sand is composed. This is primarily the soul, whose dedications focus on many things: on passion and pride for one's homeland; on heroism; on mysterious contemplations of the unknown; on love and relationships; and on activism and political issues. Amongst the vocal selections are the premieres of three new works. The songs include E. A. Mario's Santa Lucia Luntana and the Don Giovanni aria Il mio tesoro, as well as Tom Cipullo's Long Island Songs.
With the help of some friends, Connor assembled a small art gallery consisting of one piece of artwork for each thematic set of music. The works and their descriptions are shown below.
April 8, 2017 at Wagner College
Connor's recital Reflections presents the image of an hourglass, where the sand which flows within is the passage of events and time; flipping the hourglass to recreate the flow of this sand is to examine the events as memories. The first half of the program features Poulenc's Tel jour, telle nuit and four selections from Franz Schubert's Winterreise to create a narrative: surreal moments within a perfect love are ultimately brought to a crushing end, leaving one man to die alone in the cold.
The second half examines the elements of which the sand is composed. This is primarily the soul, whose dedications focus on many things: on passion and pride for one's homeland; on heroism; on mysterious contemplations of the unknown; on love and relationships; and on activism and political issues. Amongst the vocal selections are the premieres of three new works. The songs include E. A. Mario's Santa Lucia Luntana and the Don Giovanni aria Il mio tesoro, as well as Tom Cipullo's Long Island Songs.
With the help of some friends, Connor assembled a small art gallery consisting of one piece of artwork for each thematic set of music. The works and their descriptions are shown below.
Reflections Performing Forces:
Glenn Kaiser (piano)
and
Anthony Turner (actor)
Janet Pranschke (actress)
Sylvia Maisonet (soprano)
Barbara Wesby (piano)
Wagner College Contemporary Vocal Ensemble (women's choir)
Roger Wesby (conductor)
Glenn Kaiser (piano)
and
Anthony Turner (actor)
Janet Pranschke (actress)
Sylvia Maisonet (soprano)
Barbara Wesby (piano)
Wagner College Contemporary Vocal Ensemble (women's choir)
Roger Wesby (conductor)
Reflections in Art
an artistic realization of the night's repertoire
an artistic realization of the night's repertoire
Decay
Work by Connor Gibbs
Assistance by Alexandra Shworak and Joseph Dalton
Paper Crafts by Early Childhood Center Students
♫ Tel Jour, Telle Nuit
Éluard’s poetry depicts a world devoid of life. From withering grass to ruins of human activity, images of a faded society are plentiful within Tel jour, telle nuit. The humanoid in this work was made by a combination of cut-out drawings on construction paper by children who attend Wagner’s Early Childhood Center. They also created a small heart. Passion flows throughout the cycle about lovers and deceased friends, connecting each of the songs that are seemingly unrelated to one another. This humanoid filled with love grows more isolated in a decaying world; if this is the child master (enfant maître) of Song 4, Une roulotte couverte en tuiles, then this child may be growing more distant from the simple world of few stimuli and less understanding.
Work by Connor Gibbs
Assistance by Alexandra Shworak and Joseph Dalton
Paper Crafts by Early Childhood Center Students
♫ Tel Jour, Telle Nuit
Éluard’s poetry depicts a world devoid of life. From withering grass to ruins of human activity, images of a faded society are plentiful within Tel jour, telle nuit. The humanoid in this work was made by a combination of cut-out drawings on construction paper by children who attend Wagner’s Early Childhood Center. They also created a small heart. Passion flows throughout the cycle about lovers and deceased friends, connecting each of the songs that are seemingly unrelated to one another. This humanoid filled with love grows more isolated in a decaying world; if this is the child master (enfant maître) of Song 4, Une roulotte couverte en tuiles, then this child may be growing more distant from the simple world of few stimuli and less understanding.
The Crest of Oblivion
Work by Connor Gibbs
Assistance by Alexandra Shworak
♫ Winterreise
Near the end of Winterreise is a realization that the narrator has set foot upon a path which will lead him to his own death. The signpost of Der Wegweiser is frozen in place and is at the beginning of the path which will lead to isolation. This signpost has become a symbolic tipping point; continuing beyond the sign will guarantee a downward slope into the afterlife. The fate of the narrator is never fully determined, but it can be assumed from the songs which follow the selected excerpts that he dies in the wintry cold, alone. The signpost as a crest can be viewed as an emblematic representation of this place between life and death, or it can be the highest point of life before a decline into nothing.
Work by Connor Gibbs
Assistance by Alexandra Shworak
♫ Winterreise
Near the end of Winterreise is a realization that the narrator has set foot upon a path which will lead him to his own death. The signpost of Der Wegweiser is frozen in place and is at the beginning of the path which will lead to isolation. This signpost has become a symbolic tipping point; continuing beyond the sign will guarantee a downward slope into the afterlife. The fate of the narrator is never fully determined, but it can be assumed from the songs which follow the selected excerpts that he dies in the wintry cold, alone. The signpost as a crest can be viewed as an emblematic representation of this place between life and death, or it can be the highest point of life before a decline into nothing.
Santa Lucia Luntana
Work by Nikki Mulé
♫ Santa Lucia Luntana and Il mio Tesoro
Santa Lucia Luntana recalls a sense of home in Naples, Italy. This region is rich with history, especially that of Ancient Roman times. The illustration of a Roman soldier, especially in a more traditional medium than the others in tonight’s gallery, reinforces this sensation of belonging somewhere significant emotionally and historically. While this work was inspired by the Neapolitan song, Il mio tesoro, also reflects this work. Don Ottavio seeks to avenge his fiancée Donna Anna by killing Don Giovanni, and such a feat would make him comparable to the worthy Roman soldier. There is a happy ending for the nobles, yet Don Ottavio never achieves this level of honor.
Work by Nikki Mulé
♫ Santa Lucia Luntana and Il mio Tesoro
Santa Lucia Luntana recalls a sense of home in Naples, Italy. This region is rich with history, especially that of Ancient Roman times. The illustration of a Roman soldier, especially in a more traditional medium than the others in tonight’s gallery, reinforces this sensation of belonging somewhere significant emotionally and historically. While this work was inspired by the Neapolitan song, Il mio tesoro, also reflects this work. Don Ottavio seeks to avenge his fiancée Donna Anna by killing Don Giovanni, and such a feat would make him comparable to the worthy Roman soldier. There is a happy ending for the nobles, yet Don Ottavio never achieves this level of honor.
Reflections
Work by Connor Gibbs
♫ Long Island Songs
The inspiration for this recital’s themes was based upon the discovery of Cipullo’s Long Island Songs; the last song, The Crane at Gibbs Pond, identifies an actual pond in Nesconset, New York. Connor traveled to Long Island in order to visit “his pond.” The area is small and near a park, where many childhood memories can be formed. A theme throughout the cycle is the resilience of these memories, which are themselves, reflections upon the past. The water is clear and the area is serene, despite being directly adjacent to the main road. This spot is the perfect location to contemplate life. Within the song, a crane commits suicide in the pond to seek its mother in the afterlife; the sunlight sparkling in the lower right seemed reminiscent of a spirit floating across the water before departing forever.
Work by Connor Gibbs
♫ Long Island Songs
The inspiration for this recital’s themes was based upon the discovery of Cipullo’s Long Island Songs; the last song, The Crane at Gibbs Pond, identifies an actual pond in Nesconset, New York. Connor traveled to Long Island in order to visit “his pond.” The area is small and near a park, where many childhood memories can be formed. A theme throughout the cycle is the resilience of these memories, which are themselves, reflections upon the past. The water is clear and the area is serene, despite being directly adjacent to the main road. This spot is the perfect location to contemplate life. Within the song, a crane commits suicide in the pond to seek its mother in the afterlife; the sunlight sparkling in the lower right seemed reminiscent of a spirit floating across the water before departing forever.