Maternity/ Ulysses, Home
Navona, 2019
8/10
Listen to Maternity/Ulysses, Home
The esteemed composer Anthony Brandt comes through on his Navona debut with 2 very antipodal compositions that share a massive amount of creativity.
“Maternity” starts the listen with 17 minutes of sounds from the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra as Karol Bennett delivers her stunning soprano in the operatic setting, and “The Founding Mothers” follows with a reading from David Eagleman that’s both touching and clever as he touches on the lives of 21 woman through millions of years of history.
The last portion of the listen, “Ulysses, Home”, is divided in 6 parts where strings by the Del Sol String Quartet are used playfully as Bennett’s pipes are complemented by Liam Bonner’s baritone vocals as Brandt imagines Homer’s story of Ulysses and his return to Penelope following the Trojan War.
Both musical pieces here, amazingly, were recorded live, and the sublime delivery touches on the human experience in a gripping, inimitable fashion.
Travels well with: Society Of Composers, Inc- Flux; Dimensions Vol. 2- Works For Orchestra