Emily Albrink: Force of Nature
Lexicon Classics

It would be hard to imagine a song-cycle collection more personal than Force of Nature, the solo debut album by acclaimed soprano Emily Albrink. The project originated out of profound loss, specifically the death of her mother, pianist and teacher Nancy Albrink, who passed away suddenly five years ago when the singer was five weeks pregnant with her second child. Wishing to honour her mother's memory, Emily commissioned four new song cycles from composers Jake Heggie, Rene Orth, Nailah Nombeko, and Steve Rouse that would explore the variety and richness of contemporary female experience. Amplifying the personal dimension of the project, Heggie's titular cycle combines his music with texts by Emily and collaborative pianist Kathleen Kelly. Adding to the release's impact, all four works are not only illuminating but world premiere recordings too.

Multiple facets of modern-day womanhood are explored in these songs, from body-related insecurities and the myriad challenges of balancing work and personal lives to gossip, sisterhood, resilience, legacy, and the complexities of love and mothering. But one of many takeaways involves an enhanced appreciation for the challenges women confront today. As Kelly astutely notes, Force of Nature is a story about Nancy and Emily but also "mothers and children everywhere.”

Such a panorama of experience requires artists of great versatility to do justice to it, and Albrink and Kelly are certainly that. The Louisville-based soprano has been a featured soloist with numerous leading orchestras, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Boston Symphony, and Chicago Symphony among them, and appeared in leading roles with Kentucky Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and more. An Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Louisville School of Music, Emily is also a wife and mother of two small boys. Kelly's CV is as impressive. She's participated in recital collaborations with many singers, performed internationally and with many opera companies, and the Texas-based pianist is also a published poet, essayist, and librettist. Their respective talents make Albrink and Kelly perfect for this project.

Opening the album is Orth's seven-part cycle Weave Me a Name, winner of the 2023 NATS Art Song Composition Award and set to texts by Jeanne Minahan that explore aspects of the poet's grandmother's life, from beginnings (“Weave Me a Name on the loom of life …”) to the hard-earned getting of wisdom (“Love is a woven thing”). With Albrink's voice soaring and Kelly impressionistically setting the scene, “Beginnings” sets a lyrical, wistful tone for the cycle. It's a work of many colours, however, as made clear by the wide range traversed by “One of Nine Children, Your (Wild) Grandmother” and the emotional turbulence of “The Plaits” in its remembrance of the threat of alcohol-induced violence. Albrink confidently pivots between tenderness and fury as Orth's challenging songs demand, Kelly the soprano's telepathic partner at every moment.

The time frame shifts to modern times for Nombeko's Many Facets of Womanhood, whose texts by Mary McCallum address the myriad challenges women face today. Compassionate words from a loving mother to daughter receive kindred expression in Nombeko's heartfelt writing in “Be brave, be bold, be free!”(“You did not let the world define you / Maybe there's still hope for me”). Meanwhile, one adult protagonist wrestles with insecurities and self-doubt in “Time to take this Leap!” while another, too hard on herself, struggles to meet life's daily demands in “How do I keep it all together?” (“I think of all I did not get done / And try not to weep”). With text by Vin Morreale, Jr., Rouse's irreverent Morreale Monologues tackles various issues in theatrical monologues dealing with vanity (“I Know I Look Good”), gratitude (“Thank You”), gossip (“Can You Keep a Secret?”), comfort (“Rest Now”), and joy (“I Love This Song”), each song exquisitely tailored by the composer to match the spirit of the words.

June 2023