|
Only Heaven
Hailed by The New York Times as "one of the leading young composers of songs," Ricky Ian Gordon has written musicals, operas, and song cycles for such artists as Audra McDonald, Renee Fleming, and Betty Buckley. With Only Heaven, his setting of two dozen poems by Langston Hughes, the "Poet Laureate of Harlem," he has created a stirring work that Show Business has called "provocative and compelling -- recommended for anyone who loves original and groundbreaking music, as well as the majesty of Langston Hughes poetry."
Recorded live in February 2002 from a production by the Muse Machine of Dayton, OH.
"Like the Langston Hughes poems that inspired them, the Ricky Ian Gordon melodies in this song cycle are suspended between yearning and ecstasy, between life's troubles and its transcendent joys." – LA Times
“This gorgeous, meditative collection about reaching spiritual bliss is enhanced by lyrical composition and near-perfect voices. When the mighty pipes of [Jonita] Lattimore and [Adrienne] Danrich combine on the magnificent 'In Time of Silver Rain,' the result is spine chills and teary eyes." – Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Only Heaven: World Premiere Recording
Produced by Tommy Krasker & Joseph Bates |
