Gursky Songs           

Song set for tenor, violin, cello and piano

Lyrics: Daniel Neer

Music: Alex Burtzos

Gursky Songs is a collection of three original songs inspired by three epic and evocative photographic installations of Andreas Gursky: Paris, Montparnasse; Chicago Board of Trade; and Frankfurt Hauptbonhof.

From composer Alex Burtzos: “Gursky’s images are typically dense and overwhelming: swirling, chaotic settings digitally multiplied to be even more unfathomably complex. Daniel’s poems, on the other hand, are very specific: beautiful descriptions of a single person’s inner thoughts, the description of a single object plucked from among the mass. I found something very poignant in this approach, something very true to our own role as lonely individuals amongst the great overwhelming turmoil that is existence. From Daniel’s set of ten poems, I chose to set three which together echo the life cycle: childhood, adulthood, old age. Like a single face or a lonely item on one of Gursky’s​ sprawling canvas, I hope this piece illuminates and brings to life a single existence amidst the millions.”

PERFORMANCE HISTORY 

March 3, 2016

World Premiere

music/poetry | poetry\music

The National Opera Center, NYC

Daniel Neer (tenor)

Megan Atchley (violin), Maria Hadge (cello), Jing Yang (piano)