The names of four poems that John Paul Jones has written music to have been released online, shedding new light on his song cycle project which seems to be about the role of women in society.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the Britten Sinfonia began selling tickets for a January 8 performance<\/a> in which opera singer Dame Sarah Connolly will premiere a new song cycle written for her by Jones.<\/p>\n The website shows that the song cycle will be structured around four poems that Jones has selected and written music for: \u201cHer Kind\u201d, \u201cPygmalion\u2019s Bride\u201d, \u201cMorning Glory\u201d and \u201cI Say\u201d.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve firmly identified two of the poems, which suggest Jones has created a song cycle about the role of women in society. Last year, he said in a podcast interview that the poems had a \u201ccommon theme\u201d, something we can already see signs of.<\/p>\n \u201cHer Kind\u201d is likely a 1960 poem published by US poet Anne Sexton<\/a>. The poem addresses the theme of motherhood as well as witchcraft. \u201cI have gone out, a possessed witch, haunting the black air, braver at night; dreaming evil,\u201d the poem begins.<\/p>\n \u201cPygmalion\u2019s Bride\u201d is a 1999 poem written by Scottish poet and playwright Carol Ann Duffy which describes the exploitation of a sculpture. \u201cCold, I was, like snow, like ivory,\u201d the poem begins. \u201cI thought \u2018He will not touch me\u2019, but he did.\u201d<\/p>\n The poem describes \u201cgraphic emotional, physical and sexual exploitation of a sculpture who eventually manages to liberate herself,\u201d the website IB Wisdom says<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that \u201cMorning Glory\u201d is a 1989 poem by the US poet Carolyn Marie Rodgers<\/a>. Her work was known for addressing feminist issues, which fits with the prior two poems.<\/p>\n We haven\u2019t found a poem that fits with the theme that has the title \u201cI Say\u201d. However, there is a 1978 poem by Maya Angelou titled \u201cPhenomenal Woman\u201d<\/a> which features the phrase \u201cI say\u201d as a recurring motif that appears four times.<\/p>\n \u201cPhenomental Woman\u201d is \u201ca celebration of self-acceptance and female empowerment\u201d, the website All Poetry says<\/a>.<\/p>\n The history of John Paul Jones\u2019 new opera project<\/p>\n The first public mention of a collaboration between Jones and Dame Sarah came in 2018 when\u00a0The Telegraph reported<\/a>\u00a0that the pair were working together on new songs as well as\u00a0Jones\u2019 Ghost Sonata musical<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou might be surprised to know that I\u2019ve been a Led Zeppelin fan since my youth,\u201d Dame Sarah said in the interview. \u201cThey\u2019ve written some really fantastic music, so inventive and passionate. John Paul is a really gifted composer, and I can\u2019t wait to hear what he has come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n The next sign that the pair were working together came when the Twitter account @JohnPaulJones,\u00a0which seems to be the man himself<\/a>, followed Dame Sarah\u2019s Twitter account.\u00a0<\/p>\n And when Jones was announced in 2023 as a performer at the 2024 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee,\u00a0his biography on the festival website<\/a>\u00a0included the following section: \u201cJohn is currently composing a song cycle for Dame Sarah Connolly which has been commissioned by a number of the finest, as yet unannounced, contemporary classical music venues and ensembles in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview with Steinway published in July 2024<\/a>, Jones revealed that the song cycle was based on poems he had selected.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got four poems from some Americans poets and some British poets,\u201d Jones said in the podcast episode. \u201cYou\u2019ve searched for these poems, that\u2019s the hardest part, finding the poem that fits. They have to be related to each other slightly, these poems. And they are, there is a common theme which again I won\u2019t reveal just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a song cycle for Dame Sarah Connolly, who is one of the finest mezzo-sopranos in the world,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s for a Pierrot ensemble. It\u2019s the Pierrot ensemble, which is Pierrot lunaire orchestration which is piano, flute, clarinet, violin and cello. So it\u2019s classical Pierrot ensemble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe people who commissioned it said \u2018You can add instruments\u2019. I thought maybe I could add another violin which would give me a string trio. Then that makes it a bit too easy,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThe clarinet can double bass clarinet, which is what I\u2019ve got them doing, and the flute can double piccolo. And so you\u2019ve really got quite a good range there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> to stay up to date on news as it happens. You can also sign up to our email<\/a> for a digest of the latest news sent to your inbox. LedZepNews uses paid Amazon referral links to earn commissions to cover its costs.\t