Neruda Songs: "Amor mio, si muero y tú no mueras”
At-A-Glance
Orchestration: 5 first violin, 5 second violin, 4 viola, 3 cello, 2 bass, 2 flutes (1 piccolo), oboe, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, harp, piano, strings, solo mezzo-soprano
About this Piece
American composer Peter Lieberson (1946–2011) wrote a cycle of five heartfelt songs for mezzo-soprano and orchestra specifically for his wife, luminous singer Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (1954–2006), based on passionate love poetry by famed 20th-century Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. “Amor mío, si muero y tú no mueres” (My love, if I die and you do not) is the final song of the set. The cycle, which won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award, was commissioned and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.