James Kallembach: Antigone Lorelei Ensemble & Beth Willer

• James Kallembach: Antigone:
• 1 Kallembach: Antigone: Prologue 02:45
• Antigone, Pt. 1, Two Sisters:
• 2 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 1, Two Sisters: During the Time of the Great War 02:01
• 3 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 1, Two Sisters: My Dear Sister 02:26
• 4 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 1, Two Sisters: Who Could Be Sure 02:17
• 5 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 1, Two Sisters: Everywhere and at All Times 02:57
• Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone:
• 6 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: Then, Creon, Knowing That the People 03:00
• 7 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: O, Numberless Wonders 04:37
• 8 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: Then, Suddenly, a Sentry Approached 01:02
• 9 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: But, Lo, What Dark Sign 01:34
• 10 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: Yea, for These Laws 01:25
• 11 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 2, The Arrest of Antigone: The state Is Never an End 02:19
• Antigone, Pt. 3, The Death of Antigone:
• 12 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 3, The Death of Antigone: Farewell My Friends, My Countrymen 02:17
• 13 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 3, The Death of Antigone: It Seems so, and Will Be so 01:24
• 14 Kallembach: Antigone, Pt. 3, The Death of Antigone: Sophie’s Dream 06:39
• Total Runtime 36:43

Info for James Kallembach: Antigone

Lorelei Ensemble, a critically acclaimed ensemble of women's voices, releases an EP of James Kallembach's Antigone. Merging Sophocles original dramatic framework with texts from the Nazi opposition group White Rose in Munich in the 1940s, Kallembach expresses the timeless nature of resistance.

Following their mission to present bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary flexibility and virtuosity of the human voice, Lorelei Ensemble and its founder and artistic director Beth Willer present their newest release, the world premiere recording of Antigone by James Kallembach. In this 35 minute composition for female chorus and cello quartet, Kallembach has created a work of dramatic scope that both engages in history but which also challenges the listener to consider their place in contemporary society.

The inspiration for Antigone is the writings of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose. Scholl and her brother Hans were core members of the White Rose, a nonviolent resistance group during WWII that wrote and distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets. Scholl, her brother, and many of the other White Rose members were arrested and sentenced to death in 1943. Scholl’s courage and resolve during her trial was well documented and she is one of the most revered figures in the German anti-Nazi resistance movement.

Kallembach uses Sophocles’s Antigone as a framework for the writings of Sophie Scholl which he draws from her personal letters as well as from White Rose pamphlets. Kallembach writes that as he worked on the libretto, “Scholl’s writing seemed to meld directly into the words of Antigone,” and he used the anti-Nazi White Rose pamphlets as a form of Greek chorus to deliver the Antigone narrative in short, suggestive vignettes. By combining these two sources, one an ancient Greek drama and the other from relatively recent history, Kallembach brings these two works into dialogue with one another and issues a challenge to the contemporary listener. Both Sophie Scholl and the characters in Sophocles’s Antigone are wrestling with the same questions: what does it mean to live justly in an unjust society? How should we act when faced with undeniably unjust decrees by those in power?

In this performance, Lorelei, under the direction of Beth Willer, shows their signature musical flexibility and virtuosity. Kallembach is a skilled and experienced composer for the voice and throughout Antigone, he demonstrates his command of the history of choral writing. The musical points of reference range from a Gregorian chant inspired setting of the second White Rose Pamphlet in the movement “The State is never an end,” to the almost pop inspired power chords of the following movement, “Farewell my friends.” Lorelei and Beth Willer answer the demands of each of these styles and deliver a performance that is both emotionally direct and musically nuanced. By using the unique instrumentation of a cello quartet, Kallembach is able to explore formal ideas of registration and texture. Both the choir of female voices and the cello quartet are capable of great blend and homogeneity of texture, but are separated by register and timbre. The cello quartet functions at times almost as if it were a Greek chorus commenting on the musical action of Antigone.

Antigone manages to both be an exploration of mythology and history as well as a work that is thoroughly grounded in the present. The questions that Sophie Scholl and Antigone wrestled with are still with us. This piece forces us, as listeners, to think about our own role in society and about what it means to live justly.

A note from the composer: Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans were both active in the White Rose resistance during WWII: a nonviolent resistance group of several students and a professor from the University of Munich that wrote and distributed pamphlets denouncing the Nazi government. The White Rose began its activities in 1942. Sophie and Hans Scholl were sentenced to death and executed by guillotine in 1943. Their courageous resolve and persistence in their anti-Nazi views during trial and execution are well documented.

When I began working on this piece, I chose the writings of Sophie Scholl as a starting point in consultation with Beth Willer, the Artistic Director of Lorelei Ensemble. I then chose Sophocles’ Antigone as a dramatic framework to give structure to the piece. In crafting the libretto, Scholl’s writing seemed to meld directly into the words of Antigone, while the anti-Nazi pamphlets distributed by the White Rose movement served as ideal Greek choruses, delivering the Antigone narrative in short, suggestive vignettes.

For me, this ancient play serves to honor and extol the words of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose movement in their timeless, transcendent qualities. The clash between what we hold to be undeniably just and the decrees of those in power was important two thousand years ago in the public spectacle of Greek drama, it was important during WWII, it is important now and it always will be. (James Kallembach)

Lorelei Ensemble:
Sarah Brailey, soprano
Rebecca Myers Hoke, soprano
Jessica Beebe, soprano
Arwen Myers, soprano
Christina English, mezzo-soprano
Sophie Michaux, mezzo-soprano
Stephanie Kacoyanis, alto
Emily Marvosh, alto
Caleb van der Swaagh, cello
Lisa Caravan, cello
Michael Unterman, cello
Jonathan Dexter, cello
Beth Willer, artistic director, conductor

Lorelei Ensemble
Heralded for its “full-bodied and radiant sound” (The New York Times) and “stunning precision of harmony, intonation, and... spectacular virtuosity” (Gramophone Magazine), Lorelei Ensemble is recognized across the globe for its bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary flexibility and virtuosity of the human voice. Led by founder and artistic director Beth Willer, Lorelei has established an inspiring mission, curating culturally-relevant and artistically audacious programs that stretch and challenge the expectations of artists and audiences alike.

Lorelei Ensemble is creating a living repertoire for a living audience, working with today’s leading composers to commission more than 60 new works that expand and deepen the repertoire of sounds, timbres, words and stories that women use to reflect and challenge our world. This new repertoire for women’s and treble voices demands fierce flexibility and openness from each artist and listener, allowing unparalleled music making that is born from the unique position of power and cultural influence that women hold. Collaborating composers include David Lang, Julia Wolfe, George Benjamin, Kati Agócs, Lisa Bielawa, Kareem Roustom, Jessica Meyer, and many more. Current projects and commissions include Julia Wolfe’s Her Story, Christopher Cerrone’s Beaufort Scales, and Ayanna Woods’ Look Up.

Recordings document and preserve the work of Lorelei and its collaborators for future artists and audiences. On the New Focus, Sono Luminus, Cantaloupe, and BMOP Sound labels, Lorelei has recorded the music of living composers Kati Agócs, Peter Gilbert, James Kallembach, David Lang, Jessica Meyer, and Scott Ordway, as well as historical repertoires from William Billings, Guillaume Du Fay, Alfred Schnittke, Tōru Takemitsu, the Turin Codex, and the Codex Calixtinus. Recent releases include David Lang’s love fail (Cantaloupe 2020) and Impermanence (Sono Luminus 2018). In 2022, Lorelei Ensemble will release a recording of James Kallembach’s Antigone: The Writings of Sophie Scholl on New Focus Recordings.

Lorelei Ensemble maintains a robust national touring schedule, including recent collaborations with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, A Far Cry, and Cantus, and performances at celebrated venues across the country, including Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tanglewood Music Center, and Boston's Symphony Hall. Performances in future seasons are planned with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Committed to education, Lorelei is empowering young artists to be our next creative leaders through its work with rising performers and composers at children’s choirs, high schools, and colleges and universities across the country. Cultivating both individual and collaborative artistry, Lorelei helps young artists hone their skills to become flexible, perceptive, and open-minded musicians. Past residencies include work with ensembles and composers at Harvard University, Yale University, Duke University, Bucknell University, University of Iowa, and Cornell University.

Founded in Boston in 2007, Lorelei Ensemble’s artists are based across the United States and maintain active performing and teaching schedules.

Beth Willer
Noted for her “directorial command” and “technical expertise" and commitment to the contemporary vocal art, Founder and Artistic Director Beth Willer has led Lorelei Ensemble since 2007 to become recognized as one of the country’s most highly regarded vocal ensembles. A champion of contemporary music, Willer has collaborated with composers from the U.S. and abroad, leading Lorelei and other ensembles under her leadership in numerous world, U.S. and regional premieres, including works by David Lang, Julia Wolfe, George Benjamin, Kati Agócs, Lisa Bielawa, Kareem Roustom, Jessica Meyer, Sungji Hong, Reiko Yamada, Peter Gilbert, Scott Ordway, and John Supko. As a conductor and recognized leader of vocal ensembles, Willer has been invited to lead performances featuring The Bang on a Can All-Stars, Seraphic Fire, New York Baroque, Inc., and Roomful of Teeth, and has prepared ensembles for performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Cantus, A Far Cry, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Odyssey Opera.

Willer is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Studies at The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, where she leads vocal ensembles and is designing the conservatory's new graduate degree in choral conducting. Previous work includes academic appointments at Bucknell University, Harvard University, and The Boston Conservatory, and preparations for conductors of the Boston Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Odyssey Opera. A passionate educator and conductor of young artists, Willer has led ensembles at Boston University's Tanglewood Institute, The Walnut Hill School, New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, and The Boston Arts Academy. A versatile and vibrant clinician, Willer also enjoys work as a guest conductor for student and professional ensembles alike.

Willer holds a DMA and MM from Boston University, B.A. from Luther College. Her teachers include Ann Howard Jones, Weston Noble, Jameson Marvin, and Mark Shapiro.

Booklet for James Kallembach: Antigone