This album, "New French Song II," is an innovative commissioning project that created a group of songs setting poems by women and non-binary poets.
Composition History
Performers Alison Smart Fisher (soprano) and Katharine Durran (piano) chose ten women and non-binary composers for "New French Song II," aiming for songs of moderate difficulty.
Historical Context
The original "New French Song" commission in 2004 featured texts all written by men and only five women composers, leading to the 2024 "New French Song II" commission focusing on women and non-binary composers.
Album & Artwork
The album includes two extra songs by Daryl Runswick and Nicola LeFanu, bringing the complete set of 32 songs to equal gender representation among composers.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded on October 10, 2024, at SJE, Oxford, UK, and produced and engineered by Vidda Lefeber.
Composition History
"New French Song II" completes a larger set of 32 songs, following the original "New French Song" commissioned in 2004, which featured 20 songs by British composers.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The poems chosen for this album are inclusive, non-gender-specific, and expressive, often set in the natural world, to appeal to a wide audience including younger readers.
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