Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837), scholar, philosopher and philologist, is also best known as the foremost Italian poet of the 19th century, and without question one of the most beloved poetic voices of all time.

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My new song cycle, Cinque Canti di Leopardi, uses five of Leopardi's poems—Alla Luna, Imitazione, Scherzo, Allo Stesso, and L’infinito, from I Canti, the collection of poems which Leopardi composed between 1818-1836. These poems open for us a window into the vast landscape of Leopardi’s inner world—despair and frustrated hopes; discontent with what he felt was the lax standard of the literary practice of his time; futility and surrender; and finally, the immeasurable sweetness which overwhelms, as he contemplates the eternal, infinite silence.

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I have the great pleasure to work with two of Malaysia's leading musicians: Cecilia Yap, soprano, and Loo Bang Hean, piano. The virtual premiere will be streamed later in the fall.