“Paradiso” (Working Title)

Posted on Jan 12, 2013

“Paradiso” (working title)
by Glenn McClure
Libretto by Dante Alighieri
Composer’s Notes

This piece is inspired first by my love for Dante’s writings, but more importantly for “Emancipation Again,”  this piece responds to an exciting new area of Dante studies.  The recent work of University of Pittsburgh professor Dennis Looney has uncovered the untold story of collaboration and dialogue between the US and the emerging nation of Italy in the mid 19^th century.  While our country was struggling to remain whole in the violence of the Civil War, Italy was struggling to unite many separate countries on the Italian peninsula into a single nation.  We often forget that the modern nation of Italy is younger the US.  Ironically, a country with thousands of years of history, reaching back before the Romans, was formed as nation in the 1860’s.

Leaders in the US and Italy shared resources and ideas in their respective struggles for unification.  One of those texts to emerge our of this dialogue was Dante’s Divine Comedy. Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise embodies many of the same questions of justice and personal growth that resonate with the American journey towards universal freedom.

Looney’s work inspired Dr. Ronald Herzman and Dr. Beth McCoy of SUNY Geneseo to launch a new class, “Dante and African American Literature.”  I had the pleasure of joining this class last Fall.  Every day brought new insights into the complex and subtle influences that Dante has had on our American imagination.

“Paradiso” (working title) is a musical exploration of Dante’s poetry that uses both African and African American gestures to frame his words.  The music is an invitation for us to explore our American and global connections to this poem. This piece is scored for women’s choir and percussion.

This piece represents the next step of development in a larger musical setting of the Divine Comedy.  I have already completed musical treatments of texts from Inferno and Purgatorio, so this completes this initial series with a movement from Paradiso.

“Paradiso” will be premiered in a joint performance by the SUNY Geneseo Spectrum Women’s Ensemble and the Concentus Women’s Ensemble.  The piece will be scored for women’s choir and percussion.

SUNY Geneseo Spectrum Women’s Ensemble- dir. Dr. Gerard Floriano
http://www.geneseo.edu/arts/spectrum_womens_ensemble

Concentus Women’s Chorus-dir. Gwendolyn Hall Gassler
http://www.concentus.org/

Glenn McClure is a composer and Arts Integration Consultant. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Eastman School of Music and at SUNY Geneseo. His compositions have enjoyed a wide audience in the US (St. Olaf College, Florida State University, Auburn University, San Diego State University, the American Choral Directors Association Conventions in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida, and the Nat’l Kodaly Conference in San Antonio). Some of America’s finest conductors have championed his music (including Dr. Andre Thomas, Dr. Anton Armstrong, Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Anthony Leach, Dr. Brady Allred, Francisco Nuñez and Dr. Janet Galvan). Mr. McClure’s acclaimed “Kyrie” from St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass has returned to Carnegie Hall in New York City for three performances. His work has also gained audiences in Mexico, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Mr. McClure’s work was featured by the St. Olaf Choir at the culminating concert of the World Symposium of Choral Music. His oratorio, “The Starry Messenger” was featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”