the breath of life - Dan Forrest - Premiere Performance

Live recording of the world premiere performance of Dan Forrest's the breath of life, by Bel Canto Company, Welborn Young conducting, October 14, 2019, with the composer at the piano.
Texts and more details below.

1. et Deus inspiravit... (and God breathed...) 0:01
2. first breath last breath 10:23
3. the silent kiss 19:16
4. epilogue: time is 26:04

the breath of life is Dan Forrest's evocative reflection on the beauty and joy of new life juxtaposed with the pain of loss. Using choir, strings, piano, solo cello, percussion, organ, and electronics, Forrest creates a rich and poignant soundscape intertwining with profound and compelling texts from Scripture as well as classic and modern poetry. The emotional arc of the music beautifully mirrors that of life, from the miracle of birth to the bereavement of death, and the love that makes life rich and meaningful.

Vocal score and full score for purchase, and instrumental scores/parts for rent, available early summer 2020 from The Music of Dan Forrest (distributed by Beckenhorst Press). http://danforrest.com/music-catalog/the-breath-of-life

Audio recording available for purchase on iTunes, or for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, et al.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-breath-of-life-live/1490936668
https://open.spotify.com/album/4teUN6ric4jzT1VCkmrtbl

the breath of life

1.  et Deus inspiravit… (and God breathed…)  (from Genesis 2:7, Vulgate)
Et Deus inspiravit in faciem eius spiraculum vitae; 
et factus est homo in animam viventem.
(and God breathed into him the breath of life; 
and man became a living soul.)

2.  first breath last breath  (Antler, 2006)
When a baby boy is born
     and the midwife
        holds him up
     as he takes
         his first breath,
Place him over
     the Mother’s face
      so when the baby exhales
     his first breath on Earth
        the Mother breathes it.

And when the Mother dies,
     her middle-aged son
                  the baby grew up to be —
       by her side,
             his head next to her head —
Follows her breathing with his breath
      as it becomes shorter,
               and as the dying Mother
      exhales her last breath
                  her son inhales it.

3.  the silent kiss  (from A Man Young and Old, William Butler Yeats, 1928)
In the long echoing street the laughing dancers throng,
The bride is carried to the bridegroom's chamber
through torchlight and tumultuous song;
I celebrate the silent kiss that ends short life or long.
Never to have lived is best, ancient writers say;
Never to have drawn the breath of life, 
never to have looked into the eye of day;
The second best's a soft goodnight and quickly turn away.

epilogue:  time is  (Henry Van Dyke, 1904)
Time is 
Too Slow for those who Wait,
Too Swift for those who Fear,
Too Long for those who Grieve,
Too Short for those who Rejoice;
But for those who Love...
...Time is not.
Dan Forrest https://www.danforrest.com has been described as having "an undoubted gift for writing beautiful music...that is truly magical" (NY Concert Review), with works hailed as "magnificent, cleverly constructed sound sculpture" (Classical Voice), and "superb writing...full of spine-tingling moments" (Salt Lake Tribune). In the last decade, Dan's music has become well established in the repertoire of choirs both in the U.S. and abroad, through both smaller works and his major works Requiem For the Living (2013), Jubilate Deo (2016), and LUX: The Dawn from On High (2018). Dan holds graduate degrees in composition and piano performance, and is active as a composer, educator, publisher, editor, and pianist.

Bel Canto: (It.) Beautiful Singing
https://www.belcantocompany.com/
Bel Canto Company, conducted by Dr. Welborn Young is an ensemble of outstanding musicians dedicated to presenting exceptional, innovative, and engaging choral performances for all. Through music we strive to celebrate the entirety of human experience. We believe in the joy of singing and the power of live choral music to entertain, inspire, heal, build community, and express that which cannot be expressed by words or music alone.

Sharon Mulfinger Gerber http://sharongerbermusic.com/ is a full-time freelance cellist and devoted mother of three. She has studied, performed and taught in music festivals in France, England, Germany, Canada, and throughout the United States. In addition to performing, Sharon is an accomplished writer, arranger, and recording artist. She has produced four CD's featuring her original compositions and arrangements for cello and piano including her "Celloasis" project, and has collaborated with artists including Imogen Heap, Ryan O'Neal, and Rodrigo Rodriguez.

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