The Canadian Art Song Project has released The Long Walk Home as a digital album. The contemporary song cycle features music by composer Peter Tiefenbach, with text by writer James Ostime.
Baritone Nathan Keoughan performs, with the composer at the piano on the recording.
It represents the first commercial recording of The Long Walk Home, which premiered in 2015.
The song cycle follows a journey through a single night, and covers themes of longing, vulnerability, and self-recognition, with a dash of humour. It’s an intimate work, an interior monologue that offers a series of reflections, each sparked by chance encounters along the way. It’s thoroughly contemporary in nature, where the protagonist wonders how to keep moving forward in this constantly changing world.
There are eight movements:
Its emotional arc begins with optimism, ranging through self-doubt and disappointment, and moves towards a quieter sense of consolation.
Naturally, the concept evokes Schubert’s Winterreise, and composer Peter Tiefenbach uses the seminal work as an inspiration. His Long Walk, though, is set in the modern world of city streets, food trucks, unanswered text messages, and contemporary notions of intimacy.
Tiefenbach and librettist James Ostime had known about each other’s work for some time before the invitation came via The Canadian Art Song project. The initial concept was for a work that revolved around youth and humour, but the project quickly took a different turn. The duo decided to work on an emotional journey that balanced humour with insight, ranging from anxiety and self-awareness along the way.
The Long Walk Home premiered in March 2015 at Walter Hall at the University of Toronto, with baritone Geoffrey Sirett and Tiefenbach at the piano.
The recording was made to create an enduring presence for the work within the Canadian art song repertoire. art for The Long Walk Home recording
Baritone Nathan Keoughan is a graduate of Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier Lyrique. He later returned to the company for Conte di Luna (cover) in Verdi’s Il trovatore, and the world premiere of Bilodeau’s La reine-garçon, covering the role of Karl Gustav. He subsequently revisited the latter in the Canadian Opera Company’s production.
His repertoire and past performances also include Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, his role debut as Escamillo for Vancouver Opera’s Carmen, a role and company debut as Danilo in The Merry Widow with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and Bernstein’s Mass with Chorus Niagara along with the Canadian premiere of Braunfels’ Die Vögel with Pacific Opera Victoria, and multiple performances with Sound the Alarm for two Canadian tours of Music of the Night: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
We are deeply grateful to John Wright and Chung-Wai Chow, whose original support made the 2015 commission possible and whose continued generosity helped bring this recording to fruition. Their belief in this work has ensured it can now reach audiences far beyond its premiere.
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