In the beginning

[calimac]

All right, this is it. Thanks to a concert I attended today, I have an absolute champion for my all-time favorite classical art song. You'll understand why when you hear it. "In the beginning," music by Jake Heggie, lyrics by Gavin Geoffrey Dillard. Here's the best YouTube performance. Take it away, Hayley Tevelow and Daniel Hopkins ...

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Here's the complete lyrics, in case you're having any trouble making them out:

In the beginning
was the cat
And the cat was without purr

The ether stirred
And there was milk
And the cat saw that it was good
It was good

A hand stretched forth
across the milk
And scratched behind the cat's ears
And it felt good

Then the firmament shook
And there was produced
a paper bag

And the cat went forth
into the bag
And seeing
that it was good
She fell asleep
purring

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I kept getting distracted by how beautiful her voice is.

[negothick.livejournal.com]

What a perfect setting for the clever lyrics--and what a performance. Not only a glorious voice, but her playful face and gestures! Thank you for nominating this song!

[sturgeonslawyer.livejournal.com]

finally had time-and-place to look at/listen to this. It's jazz, you know...

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

No, it isn't. For one thing, there's not a speck of improvisation in it.

It's modern classical with a certain amount of jazz influence, considerably less than some. I don't mind that.