Fairouz - No Orpheus

MOHAMMED FAIROUZ

NO ORPHEUS for Voice and Violoncello

Commissioned by Christina Ascher

Photo: Samantha West

Mohammed Fairouz, born in 1985, is one of the most frequently performed, commissioned, and recorded composers working today. Hailed by The New York Times as “an important new artistic voice” and by BBC World News as “one of the most talented composers of his generation,” his large-scale works engage major geopolitical and philosophical themes with persuasive craft and a marked seriousness of purpose. Fairouz’s cosmopolitan outlook reflects his transatlantic upbringing and extensive travels. His catalog encompasses virtually every genre, including opera, symphonies, vocal and choral settings, chamber and solo works. Fairouz’s major works include his third symphony, Poems and Prayers; his fourth symphony, In the Shadow of No Towers for symphonic wind ensemble; the opera Sumeida’s Song; and the oratorio Zabur.

Fairouz became the youngest composer on the Deutsche Grammophon label to have an album dedicated to his works with the 2015 release of Follow, Poet. The album includes two works that exalt the transformative power of language: his elegiac song cycle Audenesque and the ballet Sadat.

Among the eminent singers that have performed his vocal music are Kate Lindsey, Sasha Cooke, Isabel Leonard, Nathan Gunn and Anthony Roth Costanzo. Performances of his instrumental music include the cellist Maya Beiser, the Del Sol String Quartet, Imani Winds, violinists Rachel Barton Pine and Chloë Hanslip, flutist Claire Chase and clarinetist David Krakauer, The Knights Chamber Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble LPR and the Metropolis Ensemble.

Commissions have come from the Detroit and Alabama Symphony Orchestras, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and Indianapolis Symphony, Beth Morrison Projects, Dutch National Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His music has been performed at major venues around the country including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall and The Kennedy Center, and at venues in the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. Recordings are available on the Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Bridge, Sono Luminus, Albany, GM/Living Archive, and GPR labels.

Fairouz has been seen and heard on the BBC and on NPR’s The World; he has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal, Agence France Presse, Los Angeles Times, Symphony, Strings, and New Music Box; and is regularly featured on New York’s WQXR and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. His principal teachers in composition have included György Ligeti, Gunther Schuller, and Richard Danielpour, with studies at the Curtis Institute and New England Conservatory. Fairouz has lectured and led residencies across the country at the Festival of New American Music in Sacramento and at Columbia, Brown, New York University and University of California at Los Angeles. He has served on the faculty at Northeastern University in Boston.

Text: No Orpheus

by Lloyd Schwartz

I. He Tells His Mother What He's Working on I'm writing a poem about you.

You are? What's it about?

It's the story about your childhood, the horses in the river.

The ones that nearly drowned? ... I saved them.

You told it to me just a few weeks ago.

I should dig up more of my memories.

I wish you would.

Like when I lived on the farm and one of the girls fell down the well?

Yes. I forget if it was Rose or Pauline—it was a deep well.

I remember that story.

Have you finished your poem?

I'm still working on it.

You mean you're correcting it, with commas and semicolons?

Exactly.

When can I see it?

As soon as it's finished.

Is it an epic?

It's not that long.

No, I mean all my thoughts, the flashes of what's going through my life, the whole family history ... living through the woe, the river and the water.

I know.

Will it be published?

I have to finish it first.

It's better to write about real life, that's more important than writing something fanciful.

I try to write all my poems about real life.

You see, the apple never falls far from the tree.

I guess not.

You're my apple.

There's probably a worm crawling through that apple.

Then it's got something sweet to chew on.

Well, you're my tree.

Yes, I'm your tree--you're an apple, I'm a tree.

II. No Orpheus When he sang of what had passed, the trees would lean toward him, he could suspend the suffering of the damned, he could bring back the dead.

Don’t look back! . . .

Hell is a spotless room overlooking the ocean; she wants out.

“I’m heading for nowhere, what do I have to look forward to?”

She used to have a future— and a past. “I’m lost, I’m like a stranger to myself.”

“I’m an unstationary pedestal.”

“My marbles are slowly rolling away.”

She’s thrown out family photos; no longer recalls her husband, or her maiden name. Still, she wants him to lead her back.

“When am I going to see you?

Are we a long distance apart from one another?”

He wants her back.

He wants her back . . .

If it took only not looking back to lead her back, it would be easy not to look, not to look back; but if helping her look

back is the one way he knows to help her back, then he has to help her look back.

Where else could she look?

“I’ll try not to remember too many things. I’ll just remember what I can . . .”

Do we--don’t we--have more (he wishes he knew) than what we can look back to?

III. Her Waltz "This is my dream. I'm dancing!

(Do you know how to dance? Do you like to dance?) Waltzing-it's like electricity.

It hurts when I walk. So I pick up a chair, and I start to waltz.

I look in the mirror and there I am, dancing with a chair!

I say to the mirror: 'I'm not so old.'

But the mirror says: 'Yes you are.

You're old. You're nearly ninety years old. What are you doing waltzing around with a chair?'

Now isn't that silly? An old lady.

This is my dream: I see myself in the mirror waltzing with a chair.

And that's the end of my dream.

I once knew how to dance. I once knew how to waltz.

And now I shall bid you goodnight."

Dedicated to my teta Maria Abuabara, In Memoriam.

No Orpheus I : He Tells His Mother What He's Working On Lloyd Schwartz

Contralto

 with free rubato throughout the song

p gentle j3 c j & œ bœ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ q = 72

I'm

Violoncello

4

œ ?c J p

& #˙

wri - ting

œ

Œ

a po - em

œ

b˙

p3

‰

œ œ bœ

bout?

?

7

It's the 3

π dreamily Œ œ The

?w w

& bœ œ &

œ

it

œ œ.

to me

œ œ œ bœ

œ

just

œ.

3

œ

œ- ˙ œ ˙ J π

ones that

œ. œ.

11

told

œ

j œ œ

a few

a

-

bœ œ bœ œ bout you.

œ

near - ly

bœ.

weeks

j bœ Nœ

Œ.

Œ

œ

N œ b œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ.

œ œj b œ b œ

œ

œ

bœ

b˙. ˙. ˙.

drowned?

bœ

a - go.

>

? bœ

œ.

the

&

‰ . œR œ N œ

bœ œ œ 3

You are?

What's it a -

-̇ . π

œ

hors - es

bœ

œ

in the riv - er.

nœ

Nœ œ > F

?Œ

Œ

‰

I saved them.

Œ

œ œ

π j Nœ bœ

F œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ Nœ œ œ

bœ

sto - ry a - bout your child - hood,

j bœ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ p 3

&

Mohammed Fairouz (2010)

&

œ

‰

5 œ- œ b œ œ b œ œ. b œ. # œ. œ # œ œ J π

Œ

œ œ b œ >œ œ b œ œ b œ 5 bœ bœ œ bœ >

© Copyright 2016 by Songs of Peer, Ltd. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

F bœ I

œ F

œ

p j œ

You

œ p

œ œ œ

poco sentimento

should dig up

œ

bœ

œ

3

I : He Tells His Mother What He's Working On On

14

& b˙

p œ œ œ bœ bœ œ 3

more

of my

? w

19

me - mo - ries.

F

&œ

lived

>œ and œ

the farm

œ

F

œ J

> œ bœ œ

on

Bœ

p

œ bœ.

œ

œ

˙.

B

22

∑

˙

&œ

œ

&œ

29

&Ó &œ œ # œ-

œ j œ œ œ- œ

‰

#œ

Œ

p

j œ œ œ I

˙ p

3

œ

re - mem - ber

œ

œ œ

œ

˙

œ

œ œ

œ

œ œ

Like when I

3

#œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl

of

the girls

that

œ

Nœ bœ

Œ

Yes.

it

was

Œ

Ó

j ‰ œ ? œj

down

π

œ

the well?

3

I

&

œ.

j œ

Ó

œ

œ

sto - ry.

fell

p

Œ

or Pau - line

I wish you would.

Ó

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ fl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl

œ œ3 œ ˙

Rose

Œ

œ

œ œ œ œ ˙

œ. œ. >œ . œ. . œ. . . . ? œ œ œ œ. & œ œ œ œ. œ œ. w . . œ. > f sÍ 25

œ

f #œ #œ œ œ ˙

∑

&

w-

œ bœ œ œ

one

&

‰ j œ œ

3

œ J a

˙.

deep

‰

j œ œ π

œ

3

j œ œ

œ.

if it was

œ

œ œ #œ bœ œ

œ œ-

# œU

∑ 5

œ

Ó

˙ ˙ ˙

Œ bœ

œ œ œ œ

for - get

well.

w w-

œ œ J

∑

U

w-

,

9

II. No Orpheus Voice

Violoncello

4

&œ

ward

?œ

7

4 &4

q = 72

∑

‰

? 4 œ bœ œ œ 4 ∏ bœ

him,

bœ

˙

When

bœ

œ

p bœ

œ

he

œ

œ

p j œ œ

could

œ

œ

bœ

nœ

bœ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ.

sus - pend

œ

œ

˙

he

Œ

œ.

œ

he sang of what had

˙

damned,

? œ #œ bœ

œ œ

π

∑

&w

œ œ

could

∑

passed,

œ

j œ

the

œ

j œ œ

œ 5

œ

bring

∑

of

œ

bœ

back

˙.

˙

œ

œ

suf - fer - ing

to -

œ

œ

bœ

œ

œ

the trees would lean

bœ

bœ

œ.

œ

the

bœ

œ

the

∑

10

II. No Orpheus

12

&

q. = 92 Agitato

ƒ con forza 9 œ Œ jŒ j Œ 8 J œ œ

U

w

Don't

look back!

≥j ≥j 98 œ Œ œ Œ œœ œœ fl fl ƒ

dead.

U ? ww π

(open strings)

≥j œ Œ œœ fl

˙.

16

& ˙. she

12 8

f furioso

Hell is a spot - less room ov - er - look - ing the

12 8 bœ.

wants

Œ ‰Œ ‰

bœ œ Nœ œ. œ œ œ bœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ o - cean;

> > b >œ > > >œ > > >œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œœ œ b œ œ b œ œ œ >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > >>> > > > > f Œ.

Œ.

j j bœ œ bœ œ bœ œ

Œ

out.

“I'm

nœ œ œ bœ. œ œ

head - ing for no - where, what do I have to look

? œ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ > > b œ > > œ > > œ >œ > b œ b >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > b œ b >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > œ >œ > > > > > > > > > > > > > j j j & bœ Nœ bœ œ ‰ œ œ œ

19

for - ward to?”

?

subito

œ œ œ #œ.

She used to

have a

bœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ > > œ > > œ > > œ > > > > > >

& #œ.

Œ.

22

lost,

‰œ

I'm

œ

œ

œ

like a

fu

p

œ.

- ture

-

stran - ger

-

œ œ œ N˙.

-

and a

subito

œ

to my - self.”

#œ

Œ

“I'm

> > > > > >œ œ > >œ œ > >œ œ > >œ œ œ œ œ œ

p

Œ.

œ.

past.

> > > > > >œ œ > >œ œ > >œ œ > >œ œ œ œ œ œ

j œ œ œ œ œ .

#œ

œ.

f j œ

œ

œ

B

j œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ

“I'm an un - sta - tion - ar - y pe - de - stal.”

B # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ f

& ˙.

Œ.

25

bœ.

bœ

“My

mar - bles

œ œ œ J J

are

œ œ # œ œ b œ n œ b œ b œj œj œ

slow

-

ly

rol - ling

nœ.

a - way.”

Œ

j œ

She's

B # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ # >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ 28

subito

& #œ

p

j j œ œ œ œ œ œ

thrown out fa -mi - ly pho-tos;

œ

j œ #œ œ œ œ

no

B >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ subito

p

j œ œ.

œ.

long - er re - calls her hus - band,

>œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ ?

j œ œ # œ œJ œJ œ or her mai den > œ> >œ œ >œ > > œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ.

14

III. Her Waltz Con Moto q = 126 - 132

& 43

Voice

∑

arco

Violoncello

6

‰

& œ.

cing.

>œ

? #œ >

∑

œœ̆ ‰ œœ̆ ‰ Œ J J

?3 4 œ > p

œœ Œ œ > ç

cresc.

(Do you

know how

œ > π

bœ >

bœ

œ

to

is

œ > p

my

dance?

œ

œ

> œ

Do you

œ

?

bœ > f

17

& œ.

hurts

? ˙˙ ..

-

-

b ˘œœ œœ̆ ‰ J J ‰ j œ œ œ when

I

dan

œ bœ

œ.

œ #œ

-

bœ œ bœ œ œ

œ

ing is

like

e - lec - tri - ci - ty.

∑ Œ

˙.

to

walk.

˙ .. ˙

˙ .. ˙

œœ Œ œ > ç

bœ

So

œ œ œ

œ I

pick up

bœ a

œ

#œ

chair, and

b˙. >

∑

œ

œ

œ p

Ó

˙˙ .. p

œ

It

˙˙ ..

arco

Œ

-

dance?)

œ

Œ

pizz.

∑ œ

Œ

œ

-

œ #˙.

J

like

œ

-

cresc.

f œ bœ & œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ -

I'm

œ > bœ

˙.

œ

waltz,

œ œ

11

Waltz

˙

œœ̆ ‰ œœ̆ ‰ J J

arco

j œ b˙

œ.

œ

"This

pizz.

π

œ œ

p œ œ œ œ #œ œ

œ

#œ

I

start

˙. >

œ >

j œ

œ. œ

to 3

œ #œ #œ

23

& #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ ?

waltz.

œ >

28

∑

& ?

œœ̆ œœ̆ ‰ J J ‰

j ‰ #œ fl

#œ #œ #œ œ

œ >

œ

œ

#œ

∑ ˘ # # œœ ‰ œœ̆ ‰ #œ J J #œ > >

#œ ∑

#œ

œ œ œ œ #œ œ #˙ > ∑

pizz. (strum) ˘ # # œœ ‰ œœ̆ ‰ ggg # # ˙˙ .. gg # >˙ .

J J f

#œ > Ó

#˙.

f #œ I

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

˘ # # œœ ‰ œœ̆ ‰ #œ J J > #œ #œ œ

look

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

in

the

III. Her Waltz 34

œ #œ

&

œ #œ

mir - ror

and

? gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . > 39

ggg œœ gg œ fl

45

& Œ #œ #œ ? g ˙˙ .. ggg ˙ . g>

But

gg # # ˙˙ ggg # ˙ >

ggg œœ gg œ fl

œ #œ

the

mir - ror

I

I

am,

say

to

ggg ˙˙ gg >˙

œ

&œ

nine - ty

?Œ g˙ ggg ˙˙ g> 57

& ˙.

chair?'

∑

œ

˙.

years

old.

Œ.

mir - ror:

ggg œœ gg œ fl

ggg ˙˙ gg >˙

'Yes

Now isn' - t

∑

that

sil - ly?

∑

with

œ #œ

'I'm

ggg œœ gg œ fl

not

gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ >

#˙.

so

old.'

ggg œœ gg œ fl

gg ˙˙ .. gg ˙ . g>

œ

˙

œ

œ.

you

are.

You're

old.

You're

near

Œ gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ > œ œ ˙

Œ gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ >

do - ing

œ

œ

œ

waltz - ing a - round with

∑

∏ Œ bœ ˙.

An

∑

-

˙

la - dy.

∑

ly

œ a

∑

œ

old

œ œ J

Œ gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ >

bœ œ J

œ.

a

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

#œ

∑

œ bœ ˙

ing

˙

∑

π ‰ œj b œ œ œ

-

#œ #œ #œ

œ

Œ gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ > ƒ

p œ œ œ J

j #œ #œ

œ #œ ˙

the

What are you

∑

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

œ

ƒ ˙

says:

waltz

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

#œ #œ

#˙.

œ.

#˙.

Œ gg ˙˙ ggg ˙ >

51

?

gg # # ˙˙ .. ggg # ˙ . >

Œ #œ

chair!

? gg # # ˙˙ gg # ˙ g >

there

œ

#˙.

&

#œ #œ #œ

15

∑

,

˙. ∑

B