Voilà le lieu:
Three Songs on Poems by Emné Nasereddine

1. L’Homme-Machine danse dans l’oubli
2. Voilà le lieu
3. Mes flancs sont larges

Over the course of the 2023, Liberté-Anne Lymberiou worked with mentor Dinuk Wijeratne on settings the poetry of award-winning author and poet Emné Nasereddine, who writes “candidly and profoundly on the migrant condition, the place of women in Western and Middle-Eastern cultures, family bonds and relations.”

About the songs:
The three songs each present a different stylistic and formal approach, yet remain cohesive through their shared tonal language and melodic scope. The composer feels this set of songs particularly depicts the place and experience of women in relation to grief, friendship, and migration, attempting through sound to convey the emotional weight she felt while reading these poetic stories.

As contemporaries and admirers of each other’s work, Liberté-Anne and Emné had the privilege of exchanging ideas throughout the creation process. This analytical dialogue greatly enriched both artists’ practices and further emphasized that a work finds resonance and meaning beyond the creator’s initial ideas or intentions. In this spirit, discovering how audiences will engage with these songs will add another layer of enrichment to both the process and the work itself.

Premiere:
The song set will be premiered in concert in Montreal in fall 2025 as part of a self-produced program. The program will feature Liberté Anne (soprano) performing her own compositions, accompanied by Anita Pari (piano). The evening will also showcase Anita Pari in solo piano works by Toronto composers David Jaeger and Frank Horvat, as well as the song cycle “Abide with me” (2015) by Cecil Price Walden, performed by John Johnston. Concert date and venue details to be announced.

Composer’s website: liberteanne.com