The Unquiet Heart
Karen Smith Emerson (soprano), Arlene Shrut (piano)
All composers of vocal music struggle to find texts suitable for musical setting. The search for words that ignite invention, inspire harmony, dictate rhythm, and suggest texture - all the while submitting to purely musical exigencies of form - is a perpetual and integral part of the creative process. Though the songs on this CD focus specifically on manifestations of love - infatuation, passion, anxiety, fidelity, betrayal, delusion, loneliness and reminiscence - their texts come from a wide range of sources. The larger theme is nonetheless poignantly epitomized by a phrase from James Joyce, The Unquiet Heart, which tells of the unsettled, unnamable and unutterable sensations we all experience in our lifelong search for love. Karen Smith Emerson's extensive concert career has included performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Boston Music Viva and the Marlboro Festival. Equally at home in music of the Baroque and early Classical music, she has performed leading roles in operas by Gluck, Handel and Mozart.
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII | Libby Larsen | Karen Smith Emerson, soprano, Arlene Shrut, piano |
| Songs of Love and Longing | Stephen Paulus | Karen Smith Emerson, soprano, Arlene Shrut, piano |
| A Thusand Years of Love | Bruce Adolphe | Karen Smith Emerson, soprano, Arlene Shrut, piano |
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