Longing (Tesknota) Song Cycle (2025)
from In America: Modjeska
for mezzo-soprano and piano
I. Lost Father
II. Hymn to the Earth
III. A Tree Ascended There
IV. Arden
V. Parallel Disasters-Loss and Gain
Commission/Premiere Info: Premiered on September 19, 2025 in Meng Concert Hall, CSUF by Molly Pease and David Bergstedt.
In America: Modjeska starts at 1:02:45
Program Notes
I. Lost Father (Youth and Leaving Poland)
II. Hymn to the Earth (Awakening of Awareness and Wonder, Farewell to Homeland)
III. A Tree Ascended There (A Feeling of Longing-Sadness-Tesknota-Journey to America)
IV. Arden (Journey to California-Modjeska Canyon and Embracing Shakespeare’s Arden)
V. Parallel Disasters (Hardships of Life, Poverty, Loss, Illness and Acceptance-Loss and Gain)
In America: Modjeska! Longing (Tesknota) is a 40-minute, five-movement song cycle that explores immigration in America through the life of Helena Modjeska, a Polish immigrant and renowned Shakespearean actress who moved to the United States in the late 19th century. Seeking refuge from personal and political challenges, she settled in Southern California, where she founded the Bohemian artist community "Arden" in Modjeska Canyon, near my home against the Laguna Coast Wilderness Preserve. Inspired by my grandmother's similar journey from Poland to the US, this work delves into themes of immigration, creativity, and the quest for a homeland. Modjeska envisioned an artistic sanctuary akin to Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden—a place where Polish plays could be freely staged and artistic talents nurtured.
The project traces Modjeska's journey from Poland to California, capturing her nostalgia and longing despite finding what she considered a "Paradise on Earth." Her home, renovated by architect Stanford White, merged Californian exoticism with the ambiance of a Polish manor, providing a refuge for her creative endeavors, including studying, writing, painting, and illustrating fairy tales. The work consists of five movements, each depicting a stage in Modjeska's life, using texts from her autobiography and works by poets such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rainer Maria Rilke, Elinor Wylie, Edna St. Vincent Millay, alongside early American hymn melodies and Shakespearean texts. These movements reveal Modjeska's dual identity as both an actress and a woman confronting the realities of her life.
The unique structure of the work combines a hybrid concert/aria form creating a dramatic work for solo soprano voice, and solo piano. My intention was to give the pianist and vocalist equal roles, to have equal solo capacity, to create a more dramatic structure of expression. The work will be orchestrated for larger chamber ensemble and solo voice and piano. The work was commissioned by pianist David Bergstedt, for his doctoral dissertation on my work, and composed for Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano, who will premiere the concerto-aria with orchestra. Both of these performers were students of mine in my earlier days as professor of music composition at Cal State Fullerton School of Music, and performed in my early operas, and chamber music works. They are the first to initiate a new series of "Extraordinary Alumni" at Cal State Fullerton New Music Series in the 2025-2026 season.
Purchase
To purchase the scores and parts, email Pamela Madsen directly at pmadsen@fullerton.edu.
Performances
September 19, 2025 | Meng Concert Hall, CSUF. Molly Pease & David Bergstedt