In "Sable Pride," the piano uses a leitmotif that descends to the bottom of its range over a sustained pedal to capture the emotional impact of racial hatred, and in "Tableau," the left hand plays on white keys while the right hand plays on black keys to represent racial harmony.
Recording & Production
This album features 49 songs composed between 1997 and 2017, with texts by various poets, and includes two instrumental pieces for saxophone and piano, all of which are world premiere recordings.
Composer Biography
Lori Laitman, the composer, is a magna cum laude Yale graduate and received her Master of Music from the Yale School of Music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Lori Laitman's compositions include multiple operas, choral works, and hundreds of songs setting texts by classical and contemporary poets, including those who perished in the Holocaust.
Composition History
The song cycle "Sable Pride" was commissioned by countertenor Darryl Taylor and sets three poems by Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen, addressing the issue of race from different angles.
Composition History
"And I Will Bring Them" is Lori Laitman's only Biblical setting, commissioned by Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD, for the dedication of their new temple building.
Critical Reception
Laitman's music is widely performed and has generated substantial critical acclaim, with her 2017 Naxos release of The Scarlet Letter being highly praised by Gramophone magazine and named one of the top five albums of 2018 by Fanfare magazine.
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