WHEN I AM GONE, I WILL COME TO YOU AGAIN

Classical and Modern Music

Format: Digitalno

Code: 118159

EAN: 3838898118159

ZKP RTV Slovenia in cooperation with Radio Slovenia - First Programme and Založba Pivec Publishing House is releasing the cantata When I am gone, I will come to you again for a lonely female voice (Vesna Zornik) and piano (Milan Dekleva). The libreto tells a story of Trojan priestess Cassandra, whom the divine Apollo falls in love with and endows her with the ability of clairvoyance, but after an unrequited courtship, he turns his gift into a curse so that no one will believe her prophecies.

The libretto is brought to life by a fragment of ancient mythology, in which our past, present and future are reflected. A gift, which is also a curse, can be understood as a metaphor for the modern attitude to art and science, over which the muses have been watching over since the dawn of civilization, but which today are all too often condemned to ignorance: "We no longer know what to do with the depth."

This poetic-musical work was created by Milan Dekleva after a coincidental meeting with Vesna Zornik, during which the two artists discovered that for many years they had been carrying a desire for mutual musical collaboration. On Vesna's initiative, Milan accepted the challenge in the last weeks of 2019 and took on the task of writing the musical-poetic form of cantata for the first time. The voice and piano lead us through seven songs with a connecting recitative, which unfold before us a modernized ancient narrative.

Both the design and the interpretation are characterized by extraordinary attention to musical and verbal expression, while the ascetic composition of the duo has a dignified, contemplative effect. Vesna Zornik completely immerses herself in the role of Kassandra and delivers it with determined enthusiasm; Milan Dekleva subtly complements her as a pianist, and we cannot ignore the obvious mutual respect and affection of the two protagonists.

The recording of the cantata was made in the summer of 2021 in Studio 26 of Radio Slovenia, with the editorial support of the First Program of Radio Slovenia. Colleagues from the radio music production team devoted themselves to the project: music producer Tone Jurca, sound engineer Matjaž Mastnak and sound engineer Miro Prljača. The book edition is complemented by Milanka Fabjančič's illustrations, which add a visual dimension to the combination of poetry and music. In this way, you can read the cantata with your eyes closed or listen to it through the illustrations - and each time you encounter it, it can shine in front of you in a different light.

- Teja Klobčar (the editor)

 Vesna Zornik and Milan Dekleva