The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Music Presents a Senior Recital

Andrea Vaughan, soprano Scott Schlesinger, piano

Friday, February 12, 2016 5:00 pm Person Recital Hall

~ Program ~

From , re di Persia George Frederic Handel (1685-1759) Ch’io mai vi possa

From Frauenliebe und Leben Robert Schumann (1810-1856) I. Seit ich ihn gesehen II. Er, der Herrlichste von allen III. Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben IV. Du Ring an meinem Finger

There’s None to Soothe Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) The Ash Grove Sweet Polly Oliver

~ Intermission ~

From Airs Chantés Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) I. Air romantique IV. Air vif

From Cinderella Richard Rogers (1902-1979) Ten Minutes Ago Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) From Into the Woods Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930) On the Steps of the Palace From My Fair Lady Frederick Loewe (1901-1988) I Could Have Danced All Night Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986)

Please hold your applause until the end of each set. Please silence all cell phones.

Ms. Vaughan, a candidate for the Bachelor of Arts degree, currently studies with Dr. Melissa Martin.

You are invited to attend a reception following the performance in Person Choral Room

George Frederic Handel’s aria Ch’io mai vi possa is sung by the character Emira at the end of Act III of the opera Siroe. The title character, Siroe, has come back to Emira, revealing he is not dead. Siroe asks her to end the grudge she has against his father and marry him instead. The aria she sings in response to his question is her declaration of love, saying that nothing will ever cause her to stop loving him. The opera premiered at the King’s Theatre in London on February 17, 1728 with written by . Like many opera arias written during the Baroque period, Ch’io mai vi possa is a Da capo aria, meaning the aria is divided into three different sections. In Da capo arias the first section introduces the theme of the aria and ends on the original key. The second section contrasts the first in mood, text, key, or all three. The third section is a repeat of the first section. This is not often written out; instead the composer uses the term da capo (from the beginning) in the score to indicate the musicians repeat the first section and is where this form of music takes its name. The most interesting feature of a Da capo aria is this return to the first section. In Baroque music it was expected for the performer to add in ornaments to the music. This allowed the music to be more interesting as well as demonstrated the performer’s skill.

Ch'io mai vi possa

Ch'io mai vi possa That I could ever Lasciar d'amare, Cease to love you! Non lo credete, Do not believe, Pupille care, Dearest eyes, Nè men per gioco Not even in jest V'ingannerò, nò. Will I deceive you Voi foste e siete You were and are Le mie faville, My love’s flame E voi sarete, And you will be, Care pupille, Dearest eyes Il mio bel foco My true love Fin ch'io vivrò. So long as I live

Robert Schumann’s song cycle “Frauenliebe und Leben” is a cycle set to 8 poems written by Adelbert von Chamisso. Translated the title means a young woman’s life and love and outlines the growth of love a young woman has—from first meeting her love, to marriage, and eventually her response to his death. Chamisso’s texts have been set to music by many composers, but Schumann’s music is the most well-known; the set itself is one of his most popular and the music is instantly recognizable around the world. The first song in the cycle, “Seit ich ihn gesehen” introduces us to the woman who will fall in love and two images that recur throughout the cycle: dreams and light. The song itself remains reserved like the text-- the word “love” is never used in the poem. We must infer from the woman’s description and the lack of emotion in the music that she has been stunned by her feelings for this man. The second song, “Er, der herrlichste von allen,” again uses the image of light in comparing the man she loves to a bright, lofty star. Like the poem, Schumann’s music follows the arc of emotion from the beginning when the music is lively and happy as she describes the man she loves. With the text “Wandle…” the mood turns sad and wistful as the young woman speaks of how he may not know her or love her in return. Unlike the poem, Schumann returns at the end of the piece to the text of the first stanza. The return of the original text as signifies a return to a happier (yet still slightly wistful) mood in the music, as if the character is still hoping for the chance that he will fall in love with her. The next song, “Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben,” brings back the imagery of dreaming. Schumann keeps the piano accompaniment simple and unadorned to allow the text and singer’s expression to come through as she grapples with the reality of her dream come true. Finally “Du Ring an meinem Finger” comes as a calming melody as our protagonist has finally accepted her dream as reality with the engagement ring on her finger.

Seit ich ihn gesehen Since I first saw him

Seit ich ihn gesehen, Since I first saw him Glaub’ ich blind zu sein; I think I must be blind; Wo ich hin nur blicke, wherever I look Seh’ ich ihn allein; I see only him; Wie im wachen Traume as if in a trance, Schwebt sein Bild mir vor, his image hovers before me, Taucht aus tiefstem Dunkel, emerging from the deepest gloom Heller nur empor. even brighter.

Sonst ist licht- und farblos All else is dark and colorless Alles um mich her, in my surroundings; Nach der Schwestern Spiele my sisters' games Nicht begehr ich mehr, interest me no longer; Möchte lieber weinen, I would rather weep Still im Kämmerlein; quietly in my room Seit ich ihn gesehen, Since I first saw him, Glaub ich blind zu sein. I think I must be blind.

Er, der Herrlichste von allen He, the most glorious of all

Er, der Herrlichste von allen, He, the most glorious of all, Wie so milde, wie so gut! O how mild, so good! Holde Lippen, klares Auge, lovely lips, clear eyes, Heller Sinn und fester Mut. bright mind and steadfast courage.

So wie dort in blauer Tiefe, Just as yonder in the blue depths, Hell und herrlich, jener Stern, bright and glorious, that star, Also Er an meinem Himmel, so he is in my heavens, Hell und herrlich, herr und fern. bright and glorious, lofty and distant.

Wandle, wandle deine Bahnen; Meander, meander thy paths, Nur betrachten deinen Schein, but to observe thy gleam, Nur in Demuth ihn betrachten, but to observe in meekness, Selig nur und traurig sein! but to be blissful and sad!

Höre nicht mein stilles Beten, Hear not my silent prayer, Deinem Glücke nur geweiht; consecrated only to thy happiness, Darfst mich nied’re Magd nicht kennen, thou mays't not know me, lowly maid, Hoher Stern der Herrlichkeit! lofty star of glory!

Nur die Würdigste von allen Only the worthiest of all Darf beglücken deine Wahl, may make happy thy choice, Und ich will die Hohe segnen, and I will bless her, the lofty one, Viele tausend Mal. many thousand times.

Will mich freuen dann und weinen, I will rejoice then and weep, Selig, selig bin ich dann, blissful, blissful I'll be then; Sollte mir das Herz auch brechen, if my heart should also break, Brich, o Herz, was liegt daran. break, O heart, what of it?

Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben I can't grasp it, nor believe it

Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben, I can't grasp it, nor believe it, Es hat ein Traum mich berückt; a dream has bewitched me, Wie hätt' er doch unter allen how should he, among all the others, Mich Arme erhöht und beglückt? lift up and make happy poor me?

Mir war's, er habe gesprochen: It seemed to me, as if he spoke, Ich bin auf ewig dein -- "I am thine eternally", Mir war's -- ich träume noch immer, It seemed - I dream on and on, Es kann ja nimmer so sein. It could never be so.

O laß im Traume mich sterben, O let me die in this dream, Gewieget an seiner Brust, cradled on his breast, Den seligen Tod mich schlürfen let the most blessed death drink me up In Tränen unendlicher Lust. in tears of infinite bliss.

Du Ring an meinem Finger You ring on my finger

Du Ring an meinem Finger, You ring on my finger, Mein goldenes Ringelein, my golden little ring, Ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen, I press you devoutly to my lips Dich fromm an das Herze mein. And to my heart

Ich hatt' ihn ausgeträumet, I seems that I had dreamed Der Kindheit friedlich schönen Traum, that peacefully beautiful childhood dream Ich fand allein mich, verloren I found myself lost Im öden, unendlichen Raum. In an empty, endless space

Du Ring an meinem Finger, You, ring on my finger, Da hast du mich erst belehrt, you have just now taught me Hast meinem Blick erschlossen you have opened up my eyes Des Lebens unendlichen, tiefen Wert. To the infinitely deep value of life.

Ich will ihm dienen, ihm leben, I want to serve him, to live for him, Ihm angehören ganz, to belong to him completely, Hin selber mich geben und finden to fully give myself to him, Verklärt mich in seinem Glanz. and find myself transfigured in his radiance.

Benjamin Britten was a composer, conductor and pianist who is considered one of the best-known 20th century British composers. He composed for a range of genres, from opera, orchestral, choral and solo vocal works, as well as chamber, instrumental and film music. Britten is known largely for his operatic works, but throughout his career he released multiple volumes of vocal music based on traditional folksongs. The three pieces for this recital are arrangements of Scottish, Welsh and English folksongs. The first piece, “There’s None to Soothe” is a Scottish folksong where the singer is expressing their grief. The song has a slow, plodding tempo and little emotional expression written in the music until a leap of a 6th in the voice. This allows the singer to be expressive in their characterization of the piece. “The Ash Grove,” is a Welsh folksong written as a canon between the voice and piano with two primary sections. In the first section the piano and voice work together in the canon to create a sweet sound that conjures the image of a tranquil wood where the narrator takes his walks. However, it is at the beginning of the second verse where the mood of the piece shifts. The voice continues on the same melody from the first section, but the piano accompaniment shifts into a new key. The simple framework of the canon still exists in the piano, yet the accidentals and minor sound now hint at something tragic that has occurred in the ash grove. It is not until the very end that we realize the narrator has lost his love and she is buried in the wood. “Sweet Polly Oliver” is an English folksong and also written with a canon between voice and piano. The canon in this piece creates a bright mood that fits the personality of Sweet Polly.

There’s None to Soothe

There's none to soothe my soul to rest, There's none my load of grief to share Or wake to joy this lonely breast, Or light the gloom of dark despair.

The voice of joy no more can cheer, The look of love no more can warm Since mute for aye's that voice so dear, And closed that eye alone could charm.

The Ash Grove

Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander, When twilight is fading, I pensively rove, Or at the bright noontide in solitude wander Amid the dark shades of the lonely Ash grove.

'Twas there while the blackbird was joyfully singing, I first met my dear one, the joy of my heart; Around us for gladness the bluebells were ringing, Ah! then little thought I how soon we should part.

Still grows the bright sunshine o'er valley and mountain, Still warbles the blackbird his note from the tree; Still trembles the moonbeam on streamlet and fountain, But what are the beauties of nature to me.

With sorrow, deep sorrow, my bosom is laden, All day I go mourning in search of my love. Ye echoes, O tell me, where is the sweet maiden? She sleeps 'neath the green turf down by the Ash grove.

Sweet Polly Oliver

As sweet Polly Oliver lay musing in bed, A sudden strange fancy came into her head. "Nor father nor mother shall make me false prove, I'll 'list as a soldier, and follow my love."

So early next morning she softly arose, And dressed herself up in her dead brother's clothes. She cut her hair close, and she stained her face brown, And went for a soldier to fair London Town.

Then up spoke the sergeant one day at his drill, "Now who's good for nursing? A captain, he's ill." "I'm ready," said Polly. To nurse him she's gone, And finds it's her true love all wasted and wan.

The first week the doctor kept shaking his head, "No nursing, young fellow, can save him," he said. But when Polly Oliver had nursed him back to life He cried, "You have cherished him as if you were his wife".

O then Polly Oliver, she burst into tears And told the good doctor her hopes and her fears, And very shortly after, for better or for worse, The captain took joyfully his pretty soldier nurse.

Francis Poulenc was a 20th Century French composer and pianist. Throughout the course of his career he composed 146 mélodies ranging from outrageously comical, serious, to sensual. The french mélodie is a style of vocal music meant to mimic the cadence and sound of spoken French. Thus, the poetic text of French song was given equal, if not greater, importance as the music. However, for Poulenc and his cycle of four songs Airs Chantés, set to the poems of Jean Moréas, this was not the case. Poulenc did not try to hide his distaste for Moréas’s poetry, calling it “suitable for mutilation.” As a result he set out to create a set of music from Moréas’s poems to challenge himself and tease a friend who genuinely admired the poet’s work. The first song in the set, “Air romantique,” was given the direction by Poulenc to be sung “with the wind in one’s face.” The music is deliberately meant to offset the somber interpretation of the words. By itself, the poetic text casts the gloomy image of a lonely figure walking through the stormy countryside, accompanied only by a raven. But the fast pace of the music and the major tonality of the second stanza lend instead the happier image of a determined lover braving the storm with their love. The final piece in the set, “Air vif,” is meant to be sung very fast, as an “explosion of joy.” Again Moréas’s poem is not as joyful; it ends speaking of the ocean’s lament and losing itself in dreams. To offset this, Poulenc returns at the end of the song to the first stanza and original melody. In this return, Poulenc alters the end of the melody for the voice to replicate the joyful wind. Poulenc is also explicit in writing his music, giving very clear instructions to both singer and pianist for tempo and dynamics. Often the music is marked with “sans ralentir” (without rallentando), indicating the performer should not slow his or her breakneck pace as they near the end of the piece.

Air Romantique Romantic Song

J'allais dans la campagne avec le vent d'orage, I wandered through the countryside with the thunderstorm’s wind, Sous le pâle matin, sous les nuages bas; in the pale morning, under low clouds. Un corbeau ténébreux escortait mon voyage, A gloomy raven escorted me on my journey, Et dans les flaques d'eau retentissaient mes pas. And my steps echoed in the puddles.

La foudre à l'horizon faisait courir sa flamme The lightning on the horizon arrowed its fire downward Et l'Aquilon doublait ses longs gémissements; And the north wind doubled his persistent howling; Mais la tempête était trop faible pour mon âme, yet the tempest was too weak for my soul Qui couvrait le tonnerre avec ses battements. Which sounded above the thunder with its pounding

De la dépouille d'or du frêne et de l'érable From the ash’s and maple’s golden garment L'Automne composait son éclatant butin, Autumn gathered its glistening harvest, Et le corbeau toujours, d'un vol inexorable, and evermore the raven, with its inexorable flight M'accompagnait sans rien changer à mon destin. Followed me without changing my destiny.

Air Vif Lively Song

Le trésor du verger The riches of the orchard Et le jardin en fête, and the festive garden, Les fleurs des champs, des bois the flowers of the fields, of the woods Éclatent de Plaisir. Burst forth with delight. Hélas! Et sur leur tête Alas! and above their head Le vent enfle sa voix the wind’s voice is rising.

Mais toi, noble océan But you, noble ocean Que l’assaut des tourmentes that the assault of tempests Ne saurait ravager, will not succeed in ravaging Certes plus dignement most certainly with more dignity Lorsque tu te lamentes, when you lament, Tu te prends à songer. You lose yourself in dreams.

Richard Rogers was an American composer who composed music for 43 Broadway musicals. He is most famous for his collaborations with the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II that led to 35 Tony Awards awarded to their musicals. One such Tony-award-winning musical was Cinderella. Originally written for television, Cinderella was broadcast live on March 31, 1957 to more than 100 million people. Based off the traditional fairytale of Cinderella, the musical was remade for television twice with multiple stage adaptations around the world. The song “Ten Minutes Ago” appears in the second Act of the show, when Cinderella describes the feelings she had when she met the Prince.

Stephen Sondheim is recognized as one of “the greatest and… best-known artists in the American musical theater.” Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for the musical Into the Woods, which follows the intertwined stories of traditional fairytale characters like Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. The characters go into the woods looking to find something they want, but instead learn that getting what you want can have unexpected consequences. For Cinderella, she realizes she is going to have to make a decision between her responsibilities at home and her love for the prince in the song “On the Steps of the Palace.”

In 1956 a musical premiered on Broadway with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. That musical, called My Fair Lady and based on the play by George Bernard Shaw, followed the story of Eliza Doolittle and her relationship with Henry Higgins as he gives her elocution lessons. The musical was a hit and produced one of the most recognizable songs in musical theatre, “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Eliza sings it as she realizes that her original dislike for Henry has turned into something more romantic after he danced with her across his study after a successful lesson.