Here is another selection from my upcoming recital. This is “A Last Song”, which is somewhat ironically the first song in Barber’s cycle Despite and Still. Phoebe Joy and I performed this on March 9 here at New Mexico State along with “Von ewiger Liebe” by Brahms (which will be posted on here as well in a day or so).
I absolutely love singing this piece because it feels so good. I can really lean into the phrases and explore. Barber himself was a singer (a baritone at that), and his songs tend to work well in the voice. I also feel like the first few lines “A last song, and a very last and yet another, oh when shall I give over?” are so clearly in the composer’s own voice (he actually changed the words from “A last poem” to “A last song”) that it almost feels like I am singing for him.
Thoughts?