ECOLOGY of SOULS
Exploring Folklore, Death, & the Paranormal in Music
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INTRO & ARTIST'S NOTE
Warmest of welcomes and most sincere thanks for attending today's performance of Ecology of Souls: Exploring Folklore, Death, & the Paranormal in Music. Earlier this year I began reading Joshua Cutchin's seminal novel, Ecology of Souls, (for which this recital is named,) which explores the uncanny similarities between global folklore and mythologies across time. The work was described by renowned academic and anthropologist Dr. Jack Hunter as "a bold and innovative contribution to Fortean research and scholarship, and a kaleidoscopic expedition into the wilds of the paranormal ecosystem." While reading Joshua's work, it occurred to me that for nearly every supernatural phenomenon mentioned, I could think of at least one corresponding piece of classical music inspired by that very thing off the top of my head; the idea for this recital was born. I wrote Joshua and asked whether he would be open to a recital inspired by his book and thankfully he responded with an enthusiastic yes! (It can't hurt that he is himself a professional classical musician as well as an author...) He has generously contributed the author's note below, for which I am deeply grateful.
What is perhaps most fascinating to me about Joshua's book is that while he recounts and explores the similarities between global supernatural beliefs and reports across time, he also seems to suggest that perhaps there is a connection between them— an ecology of souls. His work invites us to meditate on mankind's collective concepts of spirituality, the supernatural, the uncanny, and the meaning of life and death. What does it say about us as a species and our shared humanity that we have given these concepts so much weight throughout history, and that these themes are so inexplicably similar the world over?
We've chosen here to focus primarily on the folkloric and mythological subject matter explored in Joshua's book and its expression in Western classical music for voice and piano. This recital program begins, rather unusually, with Death, flowing through to Spirits, Fae, Psychopomps and Gods. Comprised of a mix of art song, opera, musical theater, and solo piano music, this music invites you to explore humanity's fascination with the unknown, the possibility of life after death, and music's profound ability to give voice to our shared human experience.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I haven’t been investigating things that go bump in the night all that long, in the grand scheme of things. Though I certainly don’t feel like it, there are plenty of paranormal “old salts” who would consider me a rookie.
But I’ve been around long enough to notice plenty of consistent themes, too many to enumerate, coming from all paranormal domains: ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, fairies. It’s part of how I gradually Goldilocks’d myself into a position where I have a hard time distinguishing one from the other, apart from the superficialities with which they present themselves. That, in large part, is what my 2022 book Ecology of Souls is about: placing these separate phenomena in dialogue to support viewing them as a singular phenomenon.
One of the most consistent refrains I have heard from experiencers is that our language, no matter our native tongue, fails to encapsulate the nuance, majesty, and uncanniness of these experiences. All too often, frustrated people use phrases like, “It defies language,” “Words cannot describe it,” etc.
I consider myself fortunate—before having dived into the strange and unusual—to have long considered a place beyond language my first home. I am a classically-trained tubist, and, as such, I have long understood music’s ability to convey the inexpressible. It’s the musician’s stock-and-trade. On my best days, I may even convey a little of that meaning myself in my playing. Maybe.
Naturally, upon hearing Michelle’s plan to organize a recital around Ecology of Souls, I was delighted and deeply honored. I never expected my work to touch anyone at a level half so profound. Add to that the staggering amount of work that I know goes into a recital—choosing repertoire, practicing, rehearsing, planning the logistics—and I find myself in that place I mentioned earlier. “There are no words.”
I find it interesting that so much repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries—like that presented here—speaks to the themes in my book. Interesting, but unsurprising. There’s something about the Romantic era and its natural evolution that touches the core of who we are. Of what we are.
Though my old theory professors might disagree, I tend to view the Baroque and Classical as sacred geometry, attempts to encode the face of God through sound. Beautiful, miraculous, valuable, divine… but somehow impersonal.
By contrast, everything after that era is an attempt to portray ourselves and our experiences through music. I appreciate Classical music but have always resonated more meaningfully with Romantic and contemporary composers.
(I reiterate: this is solely my opinion. It’s probably wrong, but we don’t always exercise as much control over our opinions as we think. As a tuba player, my instrument’s late “birthdate” no doubt plays a factor.)
But, when all is said and done, that’s what makes this program so appropriate for Ecology of Souls. I do suspect that there is some other intelligence interacting with us. But whatever it is, it is intimate. I feel that it tailor-produces experiences for our benefit, not to its own ends. It cannot be viewed outside the prism of human experience—like trees falling silently in a forest with no one around to hear it, I wonder if phenomena like ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, and fairies would exist at all without us to appreciate them. We need them, and they need us.
We seek for the Other in the heavens, beyond the stars. Too often, I wonder if we should turn our gaze inward.
My heartfelt congratulations to Michelle, Danielle, and Phillip. From concept to execution, you have accomplished something marvelous. I deeply regret not being able to attend these performances. But autumn is insanely busy for me, between spooky season and Oktoberfest gigs (tuba player, remember?).
There may be no words to convey the depth of gratitude, enthusiasm, honor, and support that fills my heart. But listen closely.
In those moments when Michelle and her colleagues accomplish what only music can, when they pull you into those tremendous heights of divine beauty and emotion—that is what I am trying to say.
From the performers to the audience: thank you.
-Joshua Cutchin, wearing lederhosen somewhere in Georgia, September 2024
PROGRAM
Strauss 1864–1949
Vier letzte Lieder, TrV 296 (1948)
No 4: Im Abendrot
Purcell 1659-1695
'When I am laid in earth' Dido and Aeneas (1689)
Lucy Simon 1940–2022
‘How could I ever know?’ The Secret Garden (1991)
Debussy 1862–1918
Fêtes Galantes (1904)
Colloque sentimental
Debussy 1862–1918
La cathédrale engloutie (1910)
Dvořák 1841–1904
Čury mury fuk!’ Rusalka (1900)
Dvořák 1841–1904
‘Song to the Moon’ Rusalka (1900)
--- INTERMISSION ---
Stanford 1852–1924
La belle dame sans merci (1910)
Wolf 1860–1903
Mörike-Lieder, Op. 47 (1888)
Die Geister am Mummelsee
Verdi 1813–1901
‘Re dell'abisso affrettati’ Un ballo in maschera (1859)
Wagner 1813–1883
‘Der Männer Sippe’ Die Walküre (1870)
Bizet 1838–1875
‘En vain pour éviter (Card Aria)’ Carmen (1875)
Strauss 1864–1949
‘Es gibt ein Reich’ Ariadne auf Naxos (1912)
TRANSLATIONS
Im Abendrot (At sunset)
We have gone hand in hand
Through joys and distress,
Now we rest from our wanderings
High above the quiet land.
Around us the valleys slope down,
The skies have begun to darken.
Only two larks, recalling a dream,
Soar up into the haze.
Come, and leave them to fly,
Soon it will be time to sleep.
We must not lose our way
In this solitude.
O vast and silent peace!
So deep in sunset glow,
How weary we are with wandering–
Could this perhaps be death?
When I am laid in earth
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
When I am laid, am laid in earth,
May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
How could I ever know?
How could I know I would have to leave you?
How could I know I would hurt you so?
You were the one I was born to love.
Oh, how could I ever know?
How could I ever know?
How can I say to go on without me?
How, when I know you still need me so?
How can I say not to dream about me?
How could I ever know?
How could I ever know?
Forgive me, can you forgive me?
And hold me in your heart
And find some new way to love me
Now that we're apart?
How could I know I would never hold you?
Never again in this world,
But oh, sure as you breathe,
I am there inside you.
How could I ever know?
How could I ever know?
Colloque sentimental (Lover's dialogue)
In the ancient park, deserted and frozen,
Two shapes have just passed by.
Their eyes are dead and their lips are lifeless,
And their words can hardly be heard.
In the ancient park, deserted and frozen,
Two spectres were recalling the past.
—Do you remember our past rapture?
—What would you have me remember?
—Does your heart still surge at my very name?
Do you still see my soul when you dream?—No.
—Ah, the beautiful days of inexpressible bliss
When our lips met!—It may have been so.
—How blue the sky, how hopes ran high!
—Hope has fled, vanquished, to the black sky.
So they walked on through the wild grasses,
And the night alone heard their words.
La cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral)
Čury mury fuk (Abracadabra)
Bubble, bubble, stir it well!
White clouds of steam above the dell!
Blood of dragon, just a tad,
Ten drops of bile, warm heart of bird,
Still beating meanwhile.
Jump to it, grimalkin,
Stir the bubbles in the cauldron!
Stir it round, bubble, bubble,
Fear not, if there is trouble!
It’s your human dowry,
And it must be swallowed.
This potion we have brewed
Shall turn your tongue to wood.
Come, grimalkin, here we go,
Pour it down her, nice and slow!
Bubble, bubble, stirred around.
Now not another sound.
Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém (Song to the moon)
Dear moon up in the deep dark sky,
Your light can reach so very far.
You roam this world from up on high,
See people’s homes, know where they are.
Please stay a while, dear moon, and say,
Where is my love who’s gone away?
O silver moon, give him a sign,
My arms it is that him entwine.
And may he dream he’s with me once again,
For just a moment, now and then.
Light up his path and say
Who here awaits him every day.
If his human soul dreams of me,
May he wake with this memory.
The moon disappears behind the clouds.
Dear moon, don’t fade away, oh don’t fade!
--- INTERMISSION ---
La belle dame sans merci (The beautiful lady without mercy)
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So lone and palely loitering?
The sedge hath withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woebegone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
I see a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.
I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.
She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
‘I love thee true.’
She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept, and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.
And there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dreamed—Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dreamed
On the cold hill’s side.
I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—‘La belle dame sans merci
Hath thee in thrall!’
I saw their starved lips in the gloom,
With horrid warning gaping wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.
And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
Die Geister am Mummelsee (The ghosts of mummselsee lake)
What’s this winding down the mountain at midnight
With torches and such splendour?
Can they be going to a ball or banquet?
Their singing sounds so joyful.
Oh no!
Then tell me what it can be?
What you see is a funeral procession,
And what you hear are laments.
They are mourning the king, the sorcerer,
They are bearing him back down again.
Oh mercy!
They must be the ghosts of the lake!
They’re gliding down to the Mummel valley –
Already they’ve alighted on the lake –
They neither move nor even wet their feet –
They whirr their wings while murmuring prayers –
Oh look,
There by the coffin, the glistening woman!
The lake now opens its mirror-green doors;
Look out, already they’re diving down!
A living, wavering staircase rises,
And down in the depths they’re droning songs.
Can you hear?
They’re singing him to rest below.
How sweetly the waters burn and glow!
Their fire flickers green as they dance;
The mists are swirling around the shore,
The lake vanishes into the sea –
Hush now!
Will nothing ever move there again?
A swirl in the middle – O heavens! Ah, help!
The ghosts – they’re coming again!
There’s a roar in the reeds and a wind in the rushes;
Quick now, run, take flight!
Away!
They’ve caught my scent, they’re catching me.
They’ve caught my scent, they’re catching me!
Re dell'abisso affrettati (King of the underworld, make haste)
King of the Underworld, hasten,
Plunge through the air.
Without lightning soaring,
Still lightning penetrates my roof.
Now three times the hoopoe
From above has sighed,
The ignominious salamander
Three times has hissed.
And the groaning of the tombs
Has three times spoken to me.
It's him! It's him! My heart beats.
I can feel the voluptuous rekindling
Of his tremendous embrace!
The face of the future
He holds in his left hand.
He is pleased with my begging,
he shines upon me once again.
Nothing shall be hidden from me now.
Silence! Silence.
Der Männer Sippe (The men sat here)
The clan of men sat here in this room,
Invited by Hunding for the wedding.
He was courting a woman
Who had been given to him by thieves.
Sadly I sat while they drank.
A stranger came in:
An old man in a gray cloak.
His hat hung low,
Covering one of his eyes.
Yet the glint of his other eye
Sent fear through all present
When they met the gaze
Of its powerful menace.
In me alone did that eye awake
A sweet, longing sadness,
Tears and comfort both.
He looked at me and glowered at them,
As a sword in his hands he swung;
He thrust the sword into the ash tree trunk,
Where it lodged up to its hilt.
The sword was destined to belong to him
Who could pull it from the tree.
None of the men, bold as they struggled,
Could win the sword for themselves.
Guests came and guests went,
The strongest ones pulled at the steel!
Not one inch did it move from the trunk.
There the silent sword remains still.
Then I realized who it was
Who greeted me, the grieving one.
I also realized for whom alone
That old man had destined
The sword in that trunk.
Oh, if I could only find him today,
And if only that friend would come
from far away, to this most miserable of women.
Whatever I had suffered in bitter sorrow,
Whatever shame and dishonor pained me,
The sweetest revenge would then atone for!
I would regain whatever I'd lost,
Whatever I wept for would be won back.
Were I to find that holy friend,
I would embrace him as a hero!
En vain pour éviter (The Card Aria)
Let's see, let me have my turn.
Diamonds, spades... Death!
I read it clearly...me first.
Then him...for both of us, Death!
In vain to avoid bitter replies,
in vain you shuffle,
That settles nothing,
the cards are sincere and won't lie!
In the book on high if your page is happy,
shuffle and cut without fear,
the card under your fingers
will turn itself up happily,
foretelling its good luck.
But if you must die, if that dreaded word
has been written by fate,
try again 20 times, the pitiless card
will again say: death!
Again! Again! Always death!
Again! Despair!
Always death!
Es gibt ein Reich (There is a realm)
There is a realm where everything is pure,
It has a name: The Realm of Death.
Here, nothing is pure!
Everything here comes to an end.
But soon I'll hear a messenger,
Hermes, they call him.
With his staff he rules all souls;
Like little birds, like withered leaves,
He drives them on before him.
You beautiful, silent god!
Look! Ariadne awaits you!
Ah, from all wild pains
Must the heart be cleansed;
Then your face will turn to me,
Then will your footsteps
Approach my cave.
Darkness will be upon my eyes,
And your hand upon my heart.
In the beautiful festive garments
Given to me by my mother
Will these limbs remain,
This silent cave will be my grave.
But my soul, mute,
Will follow its new master,
Like a leaf in the wind,
It will follow downward,
Following so gladly.
Darkness will be upon my eyes
And in my heart;
These limbs will remain
Beautifully adorned and completely alone.
You will free me,
You will return me to my true self,
This burdensome life
You will take from me.
You take it from me,
You take it from me,
This burdensome life!
In you, I will completely lose myself,
In you will Ariadne be.
PERFORMER BIOS
Praised for her dramatic soprano and beautiful voice (Del Mar Times), soprano Michelle Świderska Law has been delivering performances of extreme vulnerability that are consistently excellent (San Diego Reader) and powerful and floating in all the right places (North West End UK). She has a natural affinity for the Germanic repertoire of Wagner & Strauss, as well as being an ardent performer and advocate of Czech, Russian, & Polish repertoire.
Previously performed roles include the title role in Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), Gertrud in Hänsel und Gretel, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Mimì in La bohème. Partial roles include Elsa in Lohengrin, the title role in Tosca, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Ellen in Peter Grimes, and Lady Billows in Albert Herring.
Michelle completed her postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music's world-renowned School of Vocal Studies and Opera in Manchester, England. She is also an alumna of the San Diego Opera's Apprentice Artists program.
In 2019, Michelle gave the world premiere of Three Blake Songs by Nicolas Reveles, which were written for her by the composer. She is an accomplished recitalist and is passionate about presenting both art song and opera to as wide an audience as possible. In 2022, she created recital series Mosaic: An Exploration of Color in Music, which explores the vibrant palette of colors and textures used in classical music as experienced by synesthetes. Michelle holds a Master of Music in Voice from the Royal Northern College of Music and a B.A. in Music from Point Loma Nazarene University. She is a student of Darrell Babidge.
Caribbean-American contralto Danielle Perrault has been praised for her “rich and stunning voice” and “great expressive power”. Comfortable in a wide range of repertoire, some favorite operatic roles include Sulla in the 2024 world premier of The Robots by Carolyn Chen, Kate in The Pirates of Penzance, Flora in La Traviata, Ruggiero in Alcina, and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti. Partial roles performed include the title role in Carmen and the Third Lady in The Magic Flute. In 2015, she performed solo operatic excerpts with the San Diego Symphony. Danielle has also performed in the opera choruses of the San Diego Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Eutiner Oper Festspiele in Germany.
Equally at home on the concert stage, her solo oratorio appearances include Beethoven’s Mass in C, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Missa Cellensis, Handel’s Messiah, and the modern world premier of Manuel Garcia’s Mass in D Major in Spain. Locally, she has appeared in concert with the San Diego City Opera, San Diego Master Chorale, San Diego Symphony, SACRA/PROFANA, Bodhi Tree Concerts, and the Village Community Chorale.
Initially trained as a dancer, Danielle began her musical career in the theater, and continues to be an avid performer of musical theater. Her musical theater roles performed include Mary Magdalene in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, Sarah in Ragtime, Woman 2 in Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World, the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol, Cinderella's Mother in Into the Woods, and the mezzo soloist in Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill.
Danielle holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Kansas, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from California State University San Bernardino. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Simpson University.
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Pianist, composer, and coach Phillip Dannels is in demand both as a solo and collaborative artist and is currently the composer-in-residence for NOX Consortium. He has performed as a soloist at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego in masterclass with renowned pianist Lang Lang. Phillip served as the assistant conductor for Point Loma Opera Theatre for several seasons and directed their production of Donizetti’s Rita. Phillip maintains a multi-year relationship with the Del Mar International Composer's Symposium, where he has participated as a collaborative pianist in performing several modern operas and song cycles, including multiple world premieres.
Phillip has served as a répétiteur for various operas, operettas, and musicals, including Massenet’s Cendrillon, Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), Donizetti’s Rita, Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, Holmes’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Jones’ The Fantasticks, and Finn’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has also performed under the auspices of the San Diego Opera, Bodhi Tree Concerts, and Point Loma Opera Theatre. Phillip is on staff at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, where his compositions were heard throughout their new production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Phillip studied piano, composition, and voice at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, where he lives and maintains an active coaching studio. In his spare time, Phillip enjoys design, cooking, studying history, and visiting the penguins at the world-famous San Diego Zoo.