Stelle, vostra mercé l’eccelse sfere (SINGLE)
Mason Bates, the young San Francisco composer and DJ (also known as DJ Masonic) who was the first dual recipient of the Prize de Rome and the Berlin Prize, moves fluidly between the worlds of classical music and electronica. Currently busy with both commissions and performance engagements, he has appeared at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Berlin’s Volksbühne. Spanning from classical concert halls to the clubs and lounges where he DJs electronica, his music has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “Lovely to hear and ingeniously constructed.”
His choral song cycle Sirens, commissioned by Chanticleer in 2009, explores the beautiful, seductive, and ominous nature of these mythical creatures on the ancient island of Circe. In regard to Sirens, Bates has this to say:
“Perhaps one thinks of lyrical, melodic music coming from sirens, but this song cycle casts a wide net in exploring seduction music. Sirens do not always involve danger, and in fact sometimes they are personified as pure, heavenly beings emanating harmonious music. Pietro Aretino’s 16th-Century [Italian] sonnet, a love poem in one breath, pays homage to the stars (Stelle vostra mercè l’eccelse sfere), each of which is blessed with a lovely siren atop it.”
Text & Translation
Stelle, vostra mercè l’eccelse sfere
dette del Ciel Sirene hanno concesso
a lei non solo in belle note altere,
come titol gradito, il nome istesso,
ma de le lor perfette armonie vere
con surpema dolcezza il suono impresso
ne le sue chiare e nette voci: ond’ella
quasi in lingua de gli Angioli favella.
~
Stars, thanks to you the lofty spheres,
called the Heavenly Sirens,
not only granted their name itself
as a lovely title, they even imprinted
sound of their perfect harmonies
with sublime sweetness
on her clear voice, so that she speaks
almost in the language of angels.