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Duo
2025
Mezzo-soprano
Piano
Synthesizer
- Program Notes
- I was elated when Kirsten approached me about this commission for her 30th birthday. In Denmark, Kirsten's home country, a woman becomes a "Pepper Maiden" when she turns 30 and remains unmarried. (This refers back to a tradition of traveling spice salespeople hundreds of years ago, when a job wouldn't allow for those to settle down long enough to find a partner.) Upon approaching her 30th year as an unmarried woman (wooo!), Kirsten composed the gorgeous text you hear in this piece and asked me to set it. When Kirsten sent me the text, she also sent me an "inspiration playlist," which included songs by Kate Bush, John Grant, Claude Debussy, Kurt Weill, Queen, Mew, FKA Twigs, Rebecca Clarke, among others. Kirsten's richly-curated (and groovy) soundscape served as the sonic jumping-off point for these works, alongside her text. Aging is daunting. Aging can also be eye-opening, thought-provoking, whimsical, miraculous, freeing. These are what I wanted to capture in 'Pepper Maiden,' as an ode to growing older and discovering new ways to love oneself.
- Recording Notes
Recorded live. Text by Kirsten Voss
- Performer Credits
- Kirsten Voss (voice), Anna Flodmark (piano)