Impermanence Lorelei Ensemble

• Anonymous:
• 1Portum in ultimo02:24
• Tōru Takemitsu (1930 - 1996):
• 2Kaze no uma: Vocalise No. 102:07
• Peter Gilbert (b.1975):
• 3Tsukimi: No. 1, Ama no hara00:46
• 4Tsukimi: No. 2, Akikaze ni00:48
• 5Tsukimi: No. 3, Tsuki mireba01:15
• Guillaume Dufay (1397 - 1474):
• 6Rite maiorem iacobum canamus - Arcibus summis miseri reclusi - Ora pro nobis04:09
• Anonymous:
• 7Pour ce que point fu de la amere espine - A toi vierge me représente04:01
• Guillaume Dufay:
• 8O proles Hispanie - O sidus Hispanie04:48
• Anonymous:
• 9Qui patris atris honoris - Paraclite spiritus03:08
• Peter Gilbert:
• 10Tsukimi: No. 4, Nageke tote01:33
• 11Tsukimi: No. 5, Wata no hara01:56
• 12Tsukimi: No. 6, Kokoro ni mo01:01
• Anonymous:
• 13Par grant soif clere fontainne - Dame de tout pris04:13
• Guillaume Dufay:
• 14Flos florum03:34
• Anonymous:
• 15Sanctus in eternis regnans - Sanctus et ingenitus pater atque carens03:37
• Guillaume Dufay:
• 16Apostolo glorioso - Cum tua doctrina - Andreas Christi03:07
• Peter Gilbert:
• 17Tsukimi: No. 7, Hototogisu00:53
• 18Tsukimi: No. 8, Natsu no yo wa01:36
• Tōru Takemitsu:
• 19Kaze no uma: Vocalise No. 203:19
• Total Runtime48:15

Info for Impermanence

Migration of peoples across borders has shaped the human experience for millennia. While securing permanent shelter—a home—has become a goal for the majority of individuals in our world, migration remains one of our main strategies for survival. Today, tens of millions of individuals live a nomadic lifestyle as hunter gatherers or pastoralists. Pilgrims seek moral or spiritual significance through extended physical journeys. Immigrants and refugees seek freedom, stability, and safety in a new community or country. Whether physical or metaphysical, humanity survives by way of continuous movement—our culture, beliefs, and histories are marked by impermanence.

Impermanence is the bedrock of Buddhist philosophy and practice: continuous becoming as the truth of our existence. Buddhists consider this ever-evolving reality to be undeniable and inescapable. All temporal things—physical and mental—are subject to a continuous cycle of decline, decay, and rebirth. Fully embracing this concept is both humbling and freeing. It is particularly thrilling to consider this perspective as an artist committed to creating and delivering meaningful temporal experiences.

Music functions as a container of meaning, a vehicle we have used for centuries to express and grapple with the ineffable. We want to capture music—to write it down with a notation that clearly defines and preserves our musical ideas for generations to come. Yet, we have struggled to create a collection of symbols that can fully express our intentions—intentions that go far beyond pitch and rhythm. As Western notational systems have evolved, we have managed to refine this musical language, with each innovation allowing us to translate ideas in greater detail, and expand the possibilities of what could be recorded and communicated by the composer, to the performer. With this evolution came an ever-expanding musical vocabulary, new levels of complexity, and an increased desire to prescribe performance practices with the pen. But music resists this containment—the possibilities precede and outlast the technology that seeks to write them down. It is precisely this imperfection and constant evolution of notation that has allowed great music to survive for centuries. It is the unknown and the undefined corners of music that keep us coming back to re-interpret and re-invent ideas that well precede and defy modern practice.

The repertoire on this album is rife with symbolism and metaphor that further teases out concepts of impermanence, migration, and the transient nature of musical language. From the wordless vocalises of Takemitsu’s Windhorse depicting Tibetan nomads, to the 12th century polyphony of the Codex Calixtinus sung by pilgrims traveling along the Camino de Santiago, to the dramatic shifts of polyphonic style seen in the 15th century motets of Du Fay and the Turin Manuscript, to Peter Gilbert’s contemporary meditation on the phases of the moon—temporality is a common and unmistakable thread. And I suppose if one accepts impermanence fully, we might begin to see it in all of our work as artists. (Beth Willer)

Sarah Moyer, soprano
Lorelei Ensemble
Beth Willer, artistic director

Sarah Moyer
Known for her "purity and flawless range" (South Florida Classical Review), soprano Sarah Moyer was exclusively featured in the 2014 the Boston Globe Magazine for her work as a professional singing artist and deemed her “the kind of church singer who will rock your sacred-music world”. As a soloist, her recent repertoire includes Haydn's Salve Regina with Masterworks Chorale, Vivaldi's All'ombra di sospetto and Handel's Nel dolce dell'oblio with Les Bostonades, American premieres of Melani's Regina Coeli a5 and Teodora with Reed College Collegium, world premieres of Kallembach's Easter Oratorio and Theofanidis' Four Levertov Settings with Seraphic Fire, American premieres of Nørgård's Nova Genitura and Seadrift with Lost Dog New Music Ensemble, Foss' The Prairie with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem; she also "beautifully executed" (Miami Herald) the world premiere of Runestad's The Hope of Loving with Seraphic Fire in the Fall of 2015, and was described as "perfect for Baroque works... one wants to hear more from this obviously gifted singer" (South Florida Classical Review) for her brief performance in Handel's My Heart is Inditing. A frequent interpreter of Bach, her most recent engagements include Wedding Cantata with Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble, Mass in B Minor, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, and Gott ist mein König (Ripieni) with Music at Marsh Chapel, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland with Gordon College, and Bach’s Magnificat with the Boston Masterworks Chorale. In 2011 she was a featured soloist in Bach’s Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, Es ist nichts gesundes an meinem Leibe, and Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen (at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series) with New England Conservatory’s Carr Collegium.

Ms. Moyer is simultaneously active as a vocal chamber music artist. Nationally she appears frequently with Skylark, GRAMMY® nominated Seraphic Fire, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, GRAMMY® nominated True Concord, Lorelei Ensemble, The Thirteen, and Ensemble Origo. She is a founding member of Illumine, a trio devoted creating arrangements and recordings for soprano, trumpet, and harp. Locally, Moyer sings regularly with Boston’s various religious institutions such as Emmanuel Music, Church of the Advent (Beacon Hill), Trinity Church (Copley Square), and Boston University’s Marsh Chapel where she is a former Choral Scholar, among others. She has also supported music education by presenting masterclasses and workshops with Skylark, and through performing with the Handel and Haydn Society Outreach Vocal Quartet from 2014-2016. She is a recipient of the 2015 St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award.

Moyer received her Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma State University (2009) where she studied with Anne-Marie Condacse and gained the bulk of her choral training under conductors Dirk Garner, Mark Lawlor, and Natasa Kaurin-Karaca. She completed a Master's degree in Vocal Performance at New England Conservatory (2011) in the studio of Carole Haber, with whom she still studies.

Lorelei Ensemble
Heralded for its “warm, lithe, and beautifully blended” sound (New York Times) “impeccable musicality” (Boston Globe) and unfailing display of the “elegance, power, grace and beauty of the human voice” (Boston Music Intelligencer), Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble is recognized nationally for its bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary flexibility and virtuosic capability of the human voice. Lorelei is an all-professional vocal ensemble, comprising nine women whose expertise ranges from early to contemporary repertoire, and whose independent careers as soloists and ensemble singers across the globe lend to the rich and diverse vocal palette that defines the ensemble’s thrilling delivery of “exact, smooth, and stylish” programming (Boston Globe). Under the direction of founder and artistic director Beth Willer, Lorelei has established a remarkable and inspiring artistic vision, curating culturally-relevant and artistically audacious programs that stretch and challenge the expectations of artists and audiences alike.

Lorelei has commissioned and premiered more than fifty new works since its founding in 2007, while also exposing and reinventing early works of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertoires. Driven by their mission to advance and elevate women’s vocal ensembles and enrich the repertoire through forward-thinking and co-creative collaboration, Lorelei partners with established and emerging composers to create new works that point toward a “new normal” for vocal artists, and women in music.

Based in Boston, Lorelei frequently joins forces with local artistic organizations to enrich the city’s vibrant music scene. Collaborating ensembles include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, A Far Cry, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera, Grand Harmonie, Boston Percussion Group, and Juventas New Music. In addition to its work in and around Boston, Lorelei maintains a national touring schedule, enjoying performances on numerous concert series, venues, and institutions across the country. Appearances include Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Art Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Trinity Wall Street, Five Boroughs Music Festival, Rockport Chamber Music, Chamber Music Columbus, Duke Performances, Schubert Club of St. Paul, Louisville Chamber Music Series, Monadnock Music Festival, Kent Hall Masters Series, and guest appearances at state and national conferences. Educational residencies have included work with young artists at Harvard University, Bucknell University, Yale University, Duke University, Macalester College, Pittsburg State University, Mount Holyoke College, Hillsdale College, Keene State College, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Connecticut Children’s Chorus, and Providence Children’s Chorus.

Booklet for Impermanence