Suzanne Farrin (born 1976)
Suzanne Farrin was born in Maine and holds a doctorate from Yale University. Besides composing, she also performs on the ondes Martenot (a keyboard variation of the theremin).
Suzanne Farrin’s 45-minute opera Dolce la morte (“Sweet Death”) from 2016 is composed for countertenor and chamber ensemble. It is based on the love poetry of Michelangelo precipitated by his 1532 meeting with a young Roman nobleman named Tommaso de’ Cavalieri. The composer writes “Though the details of their relationship are unknown, we know that the meeting inspired the artist to compose intense poetry that deals with the joy and complexity of carnal desire and spiritual fulfilment.”
This is the “Prisoner Poems” section towards the end of Dolce la morte. The title alludes to the four unfinished statues (sometimes called “Prisoners”) that now stand before the statue of David in Florence. It is sung by Anthony Roth Costanzo with bassoon accompaniment by Rebekah Heller.
Suzanne Farrin’s 2016 composition The Stimulus of Loss is here performed by the great flautist Claire Chase with pre-recorded ondes Martenot:
This Mind Made War is for two vibraphones: