Harry Somers at 100

PROGRAM NOTES

Rhapsody for violin and piano (1948)

Composed in spring 1948 and premiered that November on CBC Radio, Rhapsody marks a turning point in Somers's style, blending expressive lyricism with growing structural clarity. Dedicated to Catherine Mackie and premiered by Somers with the violinist Morry Kernerman, its two appassionato sections build tension through dynamic contrasts and tonal ambiguity.

Sonata for Guitar (1959)

Somers's Sonata for Guitar (1959), commissioned by the Guitar Society of Toronto, was the first major classical guitar work by a Canadian composer. Its four contrasting movements blend idiomatic writing with bold harmonic and rhythmic invention, from the stately Prelude and virtuosic Scherzo to the introspective Molto lento and spirited Finale. The Sonata remains a recital favorite with Canadian guitarists and is a vivid introduction to Somers's musical voice.

Two songs

“A Bunch of Rowan,” published in 1948, sets a haunting poem by the little-known Polish-Canadian writer Diana Skala, whose work explores themes of love, betrayal, and desolation. Somers's setting uses a modified strophic form to evoke the poem's brooding mood with an atmospheric piano prelude and interludes and an expressive vocal line.

“Loon cry, night call,” the first of four songs in the cycle Evocations (1966), showcases Somers's experimental approach to text and writing for the voice. With a text by the composer, the work employs spatial notation, extended vocal techniques, and direct interaction with the piano to create a haunting, expressive soundscape.

Piano Sonata No. 1 "Testament of Youth" (1945)

Written in memory of his close friend Dudley Garrett Jr., who died during military service in 1944, this work reflects the composer's emotional response to that loss. The three-movement sonata combines striking rhythmic contrasts, rich sonorities, and expressive lyricism. The two dramatic outer movements frame a central slow movement built around a falling semitone figure that evokes sorrow. The expressive sonata is a landmark in the Canadian piano repertoire.

Three Excerpts from Serinette (1990)

Serinette (1990) is a chamber opera set in Upper Canada just after the War of 1812, with a libretto by James Reaney that explores themes of pacifism and cultural identity. The choral excerpts heard today are all drawn from Act II and reflect the opera's spiritual and historical resonances. In “I'll haste away to Jordan's stream” a leader “lines out” each phrase before the choir responds in harmony; the tune (in the tenors) is based on the 18th-century British hymn tune “Wells.” “We're counting thy favours” is a fuguing tune hymn setting with both homophonic and imitative textures, while “Bless'd is the garden of the Lord,” set to a text by David Willson, is a beautiful chorale fantasia that is the magical and moving conclusion to the opera.