The ''Neruda Songs'' are a cycle of five songs composed for

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middl ...

soloist and orchestra by the American composer

Peter Lieberson Peter Goddard Lieberson (25 October 1946 – 23 April 2011) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. His song cycles include two finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Music: '' Rilke Songs'' and '' Neruda Songs''; the latter won t ...

(1946–2011) for his wife, singer Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (1954–2006). The cycle is a setting of poems by twentieth-century Chilean poet and diplomat

Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

. The ''Neruda Songs'' were co-commissioned by the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

and the

Boston Symphony The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

; the world premiere was given on May 20, 2005, by the

with

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

conducting and Hunt Lieberson as soloist. The

performed the work in November 2005 with Hunt Lieberson as soloist and

James Levine James Lawrence Levine (; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March 1 ...

conducting, followed by performances with the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

Robert Spano Robert Spano ( ; born 7 May 1961, Conneaut, Ohio) is an American conductorDavidson, Justin. "CLASSICAL MUSIC: Looking for Magic: Mixing visuals and language into a performance is just part of conductor Robert Spano's pursuit of orchestral risk" ...

conducting. Hunt Lieberson died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

in July 2006, aged 52.

Nonesuch __NOTOC__ Nonesuch may refer to: Plants * '' Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower * ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower Places and structures *Nonesuch, Kentucky *Nonesuch Island, Bermuda *Nonesuch Mine, Michigan *Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...

subsequently released a commercial recording of the Boston/Levine performance of the ''Neruda Songs''. In December 2007, Lieberson won the 2008

Grawemeyer Award The Grawemeyer Awards () are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology. The religion awa ...

for Music Composition for ''Neruda Songs''. The ''

Rilke Songs ''Rilke Songs'' is a composition for mezzo-soprano and piano by the American composer Peter Lieberson. The work is set to poetry by the Bohemian-Austrian writer Rainer Maria Rilke. It was composed for Lieberson's wife Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, ...

'' have also been issued, in separate studio and concert performances by Hunt Lieberson, both on the

Bridge Records, Inc. Bridge Records is an independent record label that specializes in classical music located in New Rochelle, New York. History A classical guitarist, David Starobin recorded the Boccherini Guitar Quintet in E minor in the 1970s. This was his firs ...

label.Arkiv music website.

Songs

* I. ''Si no fuera porque tus ojos tienen color de luna'' (trans. "If your eyes were not the color of the moon") * II. ''Amor, amor, las nubes a la torre del cielo'' (trans. "Love, love, the clouds went up the tower of the sky") * III. ''No estés lejos de mí un solo día, porque cómo'' (trans. "Don't go far off, not even for a day") * IV. ''Ya eres mía. Reposa con tu sueño en mi sueño'' (trans. "And now you're mine. Rest with your dream in my dream") * V. ''Amor mío, si muero y tú no mueres'' (trans. "My love, if I die and you don't")

References

{{portal bar, Classical music, Music Compositions by Peter Lieberson 2005 compositions Classical song cycles Music commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra Cultural depictions of Pablo Neruda