Barber : Knoxville, Summer of 1915 (Tarmo Peltokoski / Golda Schultz)

Sous la direction de Tarmo Peltokoski, l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France et la soprano Golda Schultz interprètent Knoxville, Summer of 1915 de Samuel Barber. Extrait du concert donné le 29 avril 2022 à l'auditorium de la Maison de la Radio et de la Musique.
L’écrivain James Rufus Agee vint au monde le 27 novembre 1909 à Knoxville, dans le Tennessee. Son enfance fut endeuillée par la mort de son père, tué dans un accident de voiture au printemps 1916. Emmenée par une mère stricte et acariâtre, la famille quitta peu après Knoxville pour ne jamais y revenir. Son grand reportage sur la pauvreté des métayers blancs d’Alabama en 1936, pendant la Grande Dépression, fut refusé par le magazine Fortune, mais sa parution en 1941 avec des photographies de Walker Evans, sous le titre « Let Us Now Praise Famous Men », imposera James Agee dans le paysage littéraire américain, inspirant notamment Aaron Copland pour son opéra The Tender Land.
Devenu critique de cinéma pour Time, proche de Chaplin, Agee participa au scénario du film The African Queen de John Huston avec Humphrey Bogart et Katharine Hepburn, mais écrivit surtout celui du chef-d’œuvre de Charles Laughton The Night of the Hunter (« La Nuit du chasseur ») avec Robert Mitchum. Il mourut d’une crise cardiaque peu après, le 16 mai 1955, rongé par l’alcool, le tabac et les amphétamines. Son roman inachevé A Death in the Family, évoquant le drame de son enfance, fut publié en 1957, et couronné l’année suivante du prestigieux Prix Pulitzer. Dès 1940, Samuel Barber avait mis en musique un poème de James Agee, Sure on this shining night, dans un climat sonore aussi doux que mélancolique.
En 1947, sollicité par la soprano Eleanor Steber, Barber s’empara de Knoxville : Summer of 1915, un autre poème de James Agee, écrit en 1938 (année de création du célèbre Adagio de Barber). Annonciateur de son grand roman autobiographique, dont il formera même l’introduction, ce texte en prose, rythmé par plusieurs allitérations, dépeint une paisible ambiance familiale lors d’un soir d’été troublé par le passage d’un tramway, soirée au cours de laquelle « mon père a égoutté, enroulé le tuyau d’arrosage ». Malgré la présence rassurante de ses proches, le jeune narrateur se demande « qui dira jamais la douleur d’être sur cette terre » ? Dans cette poignante partition conçue comme une scène d’opéra, Barber témoigne de ses affinités avec Agee, qu’il rencontra à plusieurs reprises, en songeant à leurs points communs : Barber assistait à son tour, en cette année 1947, à la mort de son père.
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[@markwilliams3174]

"By some chance, here they are, all on this earth; and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth, lying, on quilts, on the grass, in a summer evening, among the sounds of the night. May God bless my people, my uncle, my aunt, my mother, my good father, oh, remember them kindly in their time of trouble; and in the hour of their taking away." "as one familiar and well-beloved in that home: but will not, oh, will not, not now, not ever; but will not ever TELL ME WHO I AM."

[@andrewculwell707]

The great American composer! He often fretted that his adagio was so popular and wanted his other pieces to gain in popularity!

[@andrewvoros4037]

My goodness ! One of my most favorites, beautifully played, and what a joy watching Golda Schultz! She didn't just sing that perfectly, she lived it.

[@theogoldberg8919]

She didn't sing it . She WAS it. True Opera pros own it this way indeed ❤

[@GreenNinjaZX6R636]

Barber's expression of childhood joy, and loss, and recovery rends me to tears at every presentation; Ms.Petokolski's rendition is warm and tender, demonstrating the universality of the feelings. And, after 70 some years, and knowing some things about loss, and recovery, and simple joy, this is sublime.

[@markwilliams3174]

Brilliant words from you.

[@theogoldberg8919]

Green Nina yo splendid too tru dat 😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bertcarter6176]

This is simply beautiful! Everything about it seems “just right.” 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@MichaelConwayBaker]

I first heard this music one summer evening. Barber really knew how to write wonderfully lyrical songs. This great performance by Golda Schultz and philharmonique de Radio France is just splendid.

[@andrewvoros4037]

@@MichaelConwayBaker the song is actually a poem written by James AG, whose father was killed in a car accident when he was five. AG wrote it in a single sitting experimenting with stream of consciousness writing. Barbara put the incredible music to it..

[@andrewvoros4037]

@@MichaelConwayBaker *Agee

[@somnitel]

Stunning. Magnificent. Best interpretation of this work I have ever heard.

[@neylanloffredo9120]

How does this only have 8k views it deserves millions so well done

[@npchong]

Spot on performance. Just so, so good in every way.

[@ElfrideSwancourt1]

Absolutely beautiful performance

[@josechrist3948]

This is unbelievable beautiful! A masterpiece! A master singer!!!

[@markwilliams3174]

Lovely musicality of the voice & emotional theatricality in voice and gestures. Masterful performance.

[@elizabethcompton412]

Stunningly exquisite 😍

[@marsha831]

Love how Schultz intertwines her voice with the orchestra - great singer!

[@michelleschulman914]

Nice interpretation, brought the text to life with communicative gestures and moving expression. Too fast for my taste though.

[@vsb101]

Magnificent! Great breath control

[@nancyrevzen7798]

beautiful singing but she misses HIS innoscence.This is HER interpretation but she is not HIM . Also she sings too much. Upshaw is still the definitive.

[@philipnaniewski1422]

Beautiful ❤

[@UMVELINQANGI]

Very lovely

[@benjaminniemczyk]

Fabulous, rendered to perfection. Schultz is phenomenal in their interpretation, elevating this masterpiece of poetry.

[@jean-jacquesaubert295]

Merveilleux poésie bien sûr splendeur et qu'elle beauté Merci

[@bonnerbill]

So beautiful

[@eottoe2001]

Bravo.

[@ErinDanly]

Never heard of Golda Shultz before - wow, she's great! So warm and a great storyteller. (Edit: stupid autocorrect!)

[@juliapriest9427]

Spectaculaire

[@nancyrevzen7798]

this is not about BARBER"S anything . Its about James Agee from his book A Death in the Family.(Green nina)do yourn research befote respondingj

[@bostonviewer5430]

Ms. Shultz is so lovely. And this is a real American classic. So well written and does so much of what new operas don't do for singers. I heard Ms. Shultz this past season sing Luonnotar of Sibelius with BSO. So good I went back for a second hearing. Mr. Peltoskoski shows his inexperience as an interpreter. Yes it's lovely and he keeps things together and is with her every moment but... where is the character of this music? This is the dullest conducting of this piece I have ever heard. And he's going to be moving into no less than 3 post of importance and a DG recording contract? When will he have time to do more than learn the notes and wave his arms? So far he has not proved himself as an interesting conductor and why would he, at 23, have the years of wisdom required. Technically hes' very competent but that does not make interesting music making.