Cecile McLorin Salvant At Richardson Auditorium

Cécilee Mclorin Salvant
Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University
The Book of Ayers
Princeton, NJ
October 7, 2024

Eclectic composer, vocalist, visual artist and Grammy award nominee Cecile McLorin Salvant returned to Princeton University's Richardson Auditorium a year after she and pianist Sullivan Fortner had participated in the Performances Up Close series, when they presented a brand new work inspired by the late Princeton University professor Toni Morrison.

It was "The Book of Ayres" that brought Salvant and Fortner back to the Richardson Auditorium stage this time. They were joined by flautist Emi Ferguson, lutenist Dušan Balarin, bass Yasushi Nakamura and percussionist Keita Ogawa. The sextet had premiered this music at the 92nd YMCA, NYC earlier in the year. Written by John Dowland, a renaissance lute player, the collection of songs was published in London in 1597. Throughout the show a projector displayed black and white pictures with the first one being sheet music.

Salvant's unique approach to music, singing and storytelling presents as a multi-sensory experience. From the concert resembling a chamber music setting to the ruff around her neck, the past was alive. Included in the concert program, was Salvant's description of her approach to art: "I gravitate towards forgotten songs, early or maligned instruments, and languages and performance styles on the brink of extinction. I bring this process of excavation into my own writing, blending old and new, exploring language and mythology."

"Melusine" is about a mythological creature, half woman and half snake who has a freak day on Saturday, eventually becoming a dragon and flying out of the bathroom, after a soak in the tub. The singing segued into Ferguson playing flute and Balarin on lute; it was catchy. Another piece was from Henry Purcell's opera the Indian Queen —"I attempt from Love's Sickness to Fly."

Salvant wrote "Dead Poplar" based on correspondence between Georgia O'Keeffe and her husband Alfred Stieglitz. She wanted to remember the letter, so writing a musical piece about it helped her to do that. Gathering things from the world, she brings them to life in song. Raw emotion, tension, and surprise abounds in Salvant's music. During "Oh Snap" percussionist Ogawa spanned a wide range, punctuating the song with emphasis, and brushing masterfully. Dowland's "Can She Excuse my Wrongs" is associated with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who was executed for treason in 1601 after he rebelled against Elizabeth I. A picture of the Queen was projected on stage. Expectations are premeditated resentments, a wisdom she learned from a friend that was turned into "Obligation." Bassist Nakamura and Flutist Ferguson brought out an emotional tension, while Salvant's vocals were cathartic.

Salvant wanted to be a baroque singer at an early age, and has matured into a talented young force to be reckoned with as her eclectic approach to music is a dazzling adventure bringing the past into the present, reconciling the two.