Freed from the literal which means of a textual content, the wordless vocalise floats right into a dreamy and surreal panorama.
In André Previn’s Vocalise, the singer enters right into a haunting musical dialog with the solo cello and the instrumental voices of the orchestra. Composed at Tanglewood on July 18, 1995 for Sylvia McNair and Yo Yo Ma, the work was initially scored for voice, cello, and piano, and was later orchestrated.
Previn, the German-American pianist, composer, conductor, and jazz musician, was equally at residence in Hollywood and within the live performance corridor. With echoes of Strauss’ Four Last Songs, and Shostakovich’s Symphonies, Previn’s Vocalise is haunting and poignant.
This April 13, 2025 Cologne efficiency options soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, cellist Maximilian Hornung and the WDR Symphony Orchestra carried out by Cristian Măcelaru:
John Williams: Discovering The Blue Fairy and The place Desires Are Born
Movie composer John Williams drew upon the vocalise within the rating for the 2001 science fiction drama A.I. Synthetic Intelligence. Discovering the Blue Fairy options soprano Barbara Bonney, whereas The place Desires Are Born, heard on the finish of the movie, is sung by Lara Fabian:
Recordings
- Previn: Vocalise for Soprano, Cello and Piano, Sylvia McNair, André Previn, Yo-Yo Ma Amazon
- Williams: A.I. Synthetic Intelligence – Music from the Movement Image Amazon
Featured Picture: {photograph} by Jim Olive
