Rustling Flights of Wings introduces the vocal music of Stanley Grill. His work springs out of the centuries long tradition of classical art songs and epitomizes the composer’s life-long fascination with the intersection between words and music. About his many settings of poetry to music, Grill writes that “dating back into pre-history, poets and musicians have always been the ones to lift humanity up from the mundane and connect us with the deepest part of ourselves. I have always found the connection between words that go beyond words and music to be an inspiration. My favorite poets write words that seem to sing off the page and so setting their words to music is a necessary and natural response.” In this album, the words and notes on the page spring into life with the commanding artistry of soprano Nancy Allen Lundy, pianist Stephen Gosling, and violinist Ralph Farris. Raised in New York City, Stanley Grill has spent a lifetime composing music as an act of translation, trying to understand the world and convey that understanding in musical terms. Translating the words of his favorite poets into music has always been an integral part of that effort.
