Based on poetry by children from the Terezin concentration camp and written in 1996, the six songs of the cycle use varied imagery and musical styles. The composer writes: "One cannot help but be touched by the hope and innocence that these children put into their poetry, despite their terrible surroundings. The accompaniment of saxophone is intended to be haunting and soulful, with echoes of Klezmer music. The song titles are: The Butterfly, Yes--That's the Way Things Are, Birdsong, Man Proposes, God Disposes, and The Old House . The first performance was at John Hopkins University in 1996 with soprano Lauren Wagner and saxophonist Gary Louie, for whom the piece was written.
Laitman, Lori Website
of Port Jefferson, New YorkI Never Saw Another ButterflySix songs for soprano and alto saxophone or clarinet or bassoon on texts by children of the Holocaust.Edition for Alto Sax and Soprano: #040043 AP-322, $17.50
Edition for Clarinet and Soprano: #040043B AP-322C, $17.50
Edition for Bassoon and Soprano: #040043C AP-322B, $17.50
After graduating magna cum laude with honors in music from Yale, Lori Laitman went on to receive her M.M. from the Yale School of Music. She has composed for theatre, film, and a wide variety of ensembles including voice. She has been a fellow at the Charles Ives Center in Connecticut and a recipient of grants from Meet the Composer, the Maryland State Arts Council and the Montgomery County Arts Council. Her music has been performed by The Skylight Opera Theatre in Wisconsin, The National Gallery Vocal Arts Quartet, the Contemporary Music Forum and at the French Embassy and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Her music is also published by E. C. Shirmer, Theodore Presser.
Arsis Press has published her I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Six Songs for Soprano and Saxophone.
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