Ryan ChartrandMusic professors Katherine Arthur and Susan Azaret Davies will fuse music and poetry in Friday’s “American Song” concert.
Davies and Arthur have done yearly recitals as a team for the past six years. The reason? They just work well together, Arthur said.
Arthur will sing soprano as Davies accompanies her on piano.
The duo will perform Aaron Copland’s “Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson” and Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Poems by e.e. Cummings that have been set to songs composed by Cal Poly music professor Kenneth S. Habib will also be included in the concert.
Davies said the audience should expect to hear songs the way the composer would set the words in the text, taking the poems to the next level.
“That’s the most interesting part because the poems are in English,” Davies said. The poems “are easy to listen to and see how the music makes each setting come alive.”
Davies said this recital stands out because all of the songs are written by American composers, with text by American poets.
Arthur always wanted to do this year’s chosen repertoire.
“It started with Emily Dickinson, but it grew out of there,” she said. “I have a lot of different ideas for recital programs. The repertoire is just endless, and there are so many things I’d like to do. So it’s more like looking at a menu and saying ‘Hmmm, what would I like to pick?'”
Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer 1915,” is set to passages from James Agee’s poem which describes an evening in the South. Each part is sung as solo soprano.
Habib’s “Poems of e.e. Cummings” includes a succession of eight poems set in pairs. The first pair of poems is from “Chansons Innocentes,” a poem that depicts experiences shown from the point of view of a child.
To prepare for the recital, Davies and Arthur have put in a lot of practice, first by themselves and now trying to practice with each another.
Arthur is not only a voice teacher at Cal Poly but has also performed as a soloist with the Southwest Chamber Music Ensemble, Santa Barbara Oratorio Society and Pacific Repertory Opera. She has also recorded works for the Austrian Radio as a guest artist in Europe.
Davies teaches piano at Cal Poly and accompanies for the Cuesta Master Chorale. She has performed at an array of festivals including the Oregon Bach Festival, Cabrillo Festival, Long Beach Bach Festival and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival.
She has also performed with the Gachinger Kantorei in Stuttgart, Germany, and the New York Philharmonic.
Both Davies and Arthur hope the audience takes away an appreciation and newly sparked interest for the great American composers, poets and writers. “These pieces are beautiful and I think they should be heard more,” Davies said.
Tickets are on sale at the Performing Arts ticket office, are $10 for the public and $8 for seniors and students. The concert will begin at 8 p.m.