Carolyn Jennings' duet for soprano and baritone, "the loons," was composed for the AIDS Quilt Songbook. This project, begun by baritone and AIDS sufferer William Parker, aimed to gather a literature of composers' responses to AIDS which could be used to raise funds to fight the disease. Jennings takes her text from Michael Estok's A Plague Year Journal. Songs for a duet of unaccompanied voices are rare, and Jennings makes the most of the possibilities of the texture. Often, the soprano engages in a vocalise that mimics a loon call while the baritone sings the text. Estok's poem emphasizes open "o" sounds, which Jennings uses to make sure the loons themselves are never forgotten. At other times, one of the voices sings text while the other accompanies with sustained notes, giving the song the feel of a Renaissance motet. The result sounds appropriately mournful and lost, without excessive emotional display. "the loons" sounds simple and natural, but its effects are extraordinarily well-calculated and make it affecting and memorable.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.