I Won't Be Afraid

Benedictus for Strings

Duet for Guitar and Violin, Mvt II. - Labyrinthine

This piece is a custom-built Max/MSP application to control the acoustic Utopa and Sauer organs in the Orgelpark, Amsterdam, NL (https://www.orgelpark.nl/en/Instrumenten/Our-Instruments). Performed live by Isaac Barzso, November 26, 2022.

and then nothing turned itself inside-out (live) // Orgelpark Hyperorgan

Premiered by the University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale under the direction of Katie Jordan, in partial fulfillment of her M.M. in Choral Conducting.

Soprano Soloist: Molly Melahn

Dedicated to Ms. Jordan’s mom, grandmother, and piano teacher for always encouraging her to take the road less traveled.

Program Notes: Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” was originally published in 1915 in the August edition of The Atlantic Monthly, and it was included as the opening poem in his first poetry collection Mountain Interval in 1916. It serves both as one of his earliest and most well- known poems, enduring over a century in the poetic canon as a powerful reminiscence on difficult and complex choices in one’s life, knowing that they may alter everything else to come. When I set texts, I always obsess over the nuances of phrasing implied by the words and how to transcribe the poet’s intentions into my scores. Early on in my work on this piece, I was fortunate to come across a recording of Frost reciting the poem, so I was able to use his phrasings and text stress as inspiration for my own decisions. Still, I strove to make this piece not only a representation of how Frost sounded, but how Frost made me feel. All of his work is full of subtlety, and throughout this poem, he captures a wide range of the human emotional palette that I sought to evoke. Frost’s poetry is some of the most intellectually and emotionally rewarding work I have ever studied, and with more and more of his work finally entering the public domain, I hope that more 21st-century composers begin their own reckoning with his work and how they can reimagine it for audiences around the world. –Benjamin Carter

The Road Not Taken

in honor of Ms. Jeanette Lerman Neubauer's birthday 
premiered April 20, 2016 at the Curtis Institute of Music
jean-michel richer, tenor
gloria ferry-brennan, violin
chen cao, cello

CONUNDRUM
A woman seeks the highest truth.
A light shines, seducing.
Light.  Shining light.
Where is revelation?  
Pure truth.  Pure light.
Come close to see.
The highest truth is without image.
But without image, how can the truth be known?
The light blinds.  The woman fails.
She turns to words for solace.
Words seduce.  
The highest principle is without words.
But if there are no words, how can the principle be known?

Lyrics by Jeanette Lerman

Based on a Zen koan allegedly found on a Buddhist sculpture, quoted in English, and discovered by the author on the Internet.


Conundrum -- tenor + vln + vcl + loop pedal

String Quartet no. 1 - "Vespers" III. Jubilations

KANYE IN MY HEAD

Quarter Past Four (by Avriel and the Sequoias)- Cover

Reverie is a lyrical, contemplative piano solo with a beautiful melody and interesting, chromatic harmonies.

This is a perfect piece to introduce intermediate students to the key of G-flat major because it’s carefully crafted for ease of playing, with the deliberate goal to ensure the player’s success. The hands remain rooted to the G-flat major pentascale position throughout much of the piece. Movements outside the position are minimal and mostly step-wise, making the piece very accessible.

The piece comes with a Getting Started Guide that will help players navigate and practice the piece efficiently.

This is a digital download that comes with a studio license, allowing for unlimited use with students you personally teach.

https://daniel-light.com/product/reverie/

Reverie, by Daniel Light

Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Vocalist, UofL BM ‘23, UofL MM ‘25

The Road Not Taken

Benjamin Carter

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