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"'The Silken Skilled Transmemberment of Song': How does Music read Poetry?"
Since the emergence of the German lied, the relation between poetry and music has changed radically, turning into an issue both aesthetic and philosophical. The case of C. P. Cavafy is a particularly interesting example of the modern tension between the two arts. Although his poems notoriously resist being set to music, composers around the world have found the challenge irresistible. This presentation will examine the challenges presented by language in verse and the diverse musical idioms that may be used to turn it into art song. Professors Lambropoulos and Polychronidis will discuss some attempts by American and Greek composers to transmember poetry into song. Their presentation will incorporate live performance of some musical renderings of Cavafy's work, and there will be ample time for a Q/A at the end.
Location: U-M Institute for the Humanities, 202 S. Thayer, Room 1040
Website: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/poetry.poetics/home
Contact: jhhansen@umich.edu


