Love After 1950
Victoria Browers, Rita Dove, Libby Larsen, & Susanne Mentzer
Gwathmey, Robert. Daisy Chain. c 1959. Debra Force Fine Art, Inc. Web. 1 June 2020.
(This painting pairs beautifully with the text of Boy’s Lips.)
Duration: 1 hour and 16 minutes
About: Conversation: Love After 1950 – Victoria Browers talks with poet Rita Dove, composer Libby Larsen, and mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer.
Commissioned for Susanne Mentzer, and premiered by Mentzer and Craig Rutenberg at Ravinia in 2000, Larsen’s cycle Love After 1950 includes five songs with texts by female poets. The poem of the first song Boy’s Lips, is written by Rita Dove.
These three remarkable women speak to how the piece came to fruition, with a detailed discussion of Rita’s words, the unique challenges composers face when setting text, and the special collaboration that occurs between living composer, poet and performers.
Resources:
Purchase the score through Libby Larsen's website.
The poem is found in The Yellow House on the Corner by Rita Dove. A PDF of the Boy’s Lips text can be found HERE.
Listen to the entire cycle on Susanne Mentzer and Craig Rutenberg’s album entitled The Eternal Feminie. This album is available for download and streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.
