Songs of love and loss

Various: Songs of love and loss 1. Richard Parry: Duo for Heart and Breath (2012)— 2. Claudio Monteverdi: Lamento della ninfa (1638, arr. Tim Munro)— 3. Carlo Gesualdo: Moro, lasso, al mio duolo (1611, arr. Tim Munro)— 4. Bon Iver: Babys (2009, arr. Lisa Kaplan) The wild vagaries of the heart unite these four Songs of love and loss. Richard Parry (of indie band Arcade Fire) connects the rhythms of the physical body to the rhythms of the musical performance in Duo for Heart and Breath. Musicians wear stethoscopes, which enable them to play in synch with their own heartbeats. At other times, players are in synch with their own individual breathing. According to the composer, "The idea is less about 'performing' and more about directly translating into music the subtle, naturally varying internal rhythms of the individual players."

Two italian madrigalists sing keening laments of love and loss. Claudio Monteverdi's Lamento della ninfa sighs in waves of resignation, anger and hope: "I want him back, just as he was, if not, then kill me...love mixes fire and ice," sings the solo soprano (re-cast as viola) while three tenors (flute, clarinet, cello) rock her to sleep: "poor woman, poor woman." Carlo Gesualdo's lament, Moro, lasso (originally written for small vocal ensemble), is altogether darker, bleaker, as a lover sinks into the dissonant, chromatic mire: "I die in my suffering, and she who could give me life allows me to die."

Bon Iver's anthem, Babys, shines welcome light: Summer comes to multiply, and I'm the carnival of peace I'll probably start a fleet with no apologies And the carnival of scenes, it grows more and more appealing But my woman and I know what we're for.