Making Light of Time - Songs by Ross Harris and Vincent O'Sullivan Jenny Wollerman

• The Abiding Tides:
• 1 No. 1, The Morning Is Clear 02:47
• 2 No. 2, A Child at the Rail 02:17
• 3 No. 3, Time's Slow Distant Surf 03:56
• 4 No. 4, Remember 03:34
• 5 No. 5, This Is a Charm I Wear 04:50
• 6 No. 6, Attend What You Must 02:52
• 7 No. 7, Light 01:51
• 8 No. 8, Nox Perpetua 01:49
• Songs for Beatrice, Making Light of Time:
• 9 No. 1, As a Child 01:18
• 10 No. 2, To Put It Crudely, Frankly 01:09
• 11 No. 3, True Romance 01:30
• 12 No. 4, Neighbourhood Watch 01:30
• 13 No. 5, Moving On 02:43
• The Floating Bride, the Crimson Village:
• 14 No. 1, A Rooster Is Walking the Bluest Night 01:54
• 15 No. 2, Tu es ma belle 01:08
• 16 No. 3, The Dancer 01:12
• 17 No. 4, The Ladder to the Moon 01:55
• 18 No. 5, The Rabbi 02:34
• 19 No. 6, Give Me a Green Horse 01:21
• 20 No. 7, As the Night 02:00
• 21 No. 8, You Can Talk 01:18
• 22 No. 9, I Know the Road 02:25
• 23 No. 10, Like a Scarlet Lake 00:58
• 24 No. 11, Mon Dieu 02:20
• Total Runtime 51:11

Info for Making Light of Time - Songs by Ross Harris and Vincent O'Sullivan

These three vocal works, the Abiding Tides, Songs for Beatrice: Making Light of Time and The Floating Bride, the Crimson Village, represent the fruits of a decade-long collaboration partnership between two of New Zealand's creative masters, Ross Harris and Vincent O'Sullivan.

One of New Zealand’s best-known sopranos—Jenny Wollerman collaborated with Emeritus Professor and writer Vincent O’Sullivan, and composer and former lecturer Ross Harris on the three vocal works that feature on the CD Making Light of Time.

“For a composer it’s ideal,” says Mr Harris. “Vincent’s poems were written with the express purpose of being set to music and his words are very evocative of things I like to be able express in music,” he says.

Emeritus Professor O’Sullivan says “Jenny doesn’t just present the songs with her total professionalism, or gift them her splendid voice—she enters them, she makes them her own as much as they are Ross’s or mine.”

Recorded with the New Zealand String Quartet (NZSQ) and pianist Dr Jian Liu, NZSM Senior Lecturer, ‘Songs for Beatrice: Making Light of Time’ celebrates New Zealand astronomer Beatrice Tinsley, who was amongst the first to prove the universe is infinitely expanding.

‘Abiding Tides’ begins with the optimism of passengers aboard the Titanic then slips into a dark allegory of modern-day migrant ships and losses at sea; while ‘The Floating Bride, the Crimson Village’ is a homage to Chagall's paintings and profound imagination.

Ms Wollerman says she was delighted when Ross Harris suggested recording three of his most recent song cycle works. “I have been honoured to have the opportunity to work with Ross and Vincent in creating the premiere performances for both ‘The Abiding Tides’ and ‘The Floating Bride’. Having their input into my work as a performer through multiple performances over the past years has been a wonderful stimulus now resulting in the hugely satisfying and enlightening interaction I experienced in making this recording.”

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, soprano Jenny Wollerman has performed as a soloist with major arts organisations throughout Australasia. Her interest in New Zealand composition has led to the premieres of numerous works, including the first performances of two of the song cycles on the Making Light of Time recording: ‘The Floating Bride, The Crimson Village’, premiered with pianist Piers Lane at the Adam Chamber Music Festival in 2009, then with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2010, and ‘The Abiding Tides’ in 2010 with the New Zealand String Quartet.

Jenny Wollerman, soprano

Jenny Wollerman
New Zealand soprano Jenny Wollerman completed her postgraduate studies with four years at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After graduating in 1991 with a Master of Music in Opera, she undertook further study at the Banff Centre in Canada and the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, England, before returning to pursue her career in Australia and New Zealand.

She has since appeared throughout Australasia, as well as in Britain, Belgium, Ireland and Taiwan, performing with the New Zealand, Tasmanian, Adelaide, West Australian and Taiwan Symphony Orchestras.

She has performed with all of the opera companies in New Zealand, appearing as Léïla, Mimì, Fiordiligi, Pamina, Eurydice, Catherine in Bitter Calm, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, and for New Zealand Opera as Micaëla in Carmen, Xenia in Boris Godunov, and Mimì in La Boheme.

She has been a soloist in six New Zealand International Arts Festivals, in a diverse range of works including Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice conducted by Jane Glover, Handel’s L’Allegro with the Mark Morris Dance Company, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, Rachmaninov’s The Bells and Wagner’s Parsifal with Sir Donald McIntyre.

Other notable engagements have included Léïla in Les Pêcheurs de Perles for the State Opera of South Australia, Brahms' Requiem at the Sydney Opera House, Lutoslawski’s Chantefleurs et Chantefables with the Tasmanian Symphony, Carmina Burana with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Ravel’s Shéhérazade song cycle in Perth and Adelaide, with the West Australian and Adelaide symphony orchestras.

Premieres of works include John Psathas’ Orpheus in Rarohenga, Christopher Blake’s opera Bitter Calm, The Lord of the Rings Symphony in 2003, at the premiere in Wellington conducted by the composer, Howard Shore, and in Taipei, Taiwan conducted by John Mauceri.

She is noted for her recital work, performing her ‘Water of Life’ programme with pianist Bruce Greenfield in the Wellington, Christchurch and Taranaki festivals.

Recent performances have included Vector Wellington Orchestra’s ‘Afternoon in Provence’ outdoor concert, Mozart’s Requiem with the NZSO under the baton of Nicholas McGegan, Handel’s Messiah, Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man and John Tavener’s Lament for Jerusalem. Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate on tour with the Vector Wellington Orchestra.

Booklet for Making Light of Time - Songs by Ross Harris and Vincent O'Sullivan