"Lili" Reissue + Washington, DC
Dear ones, I'm delighted to let you know that I'm reissuing my 2020 album Lili! Read on for some backstory and details on that, as well as information about a festival performance near Washington, DC on May 6 (DMV friends and family, hope to see you there).
Revisiting an old friend
On March 17, 2020, Sam Torres (my husband and producer/audio engineer) and I spent a few hours in the acoustically-pristine Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and recorded the complete piano works of Lili Boulanger (1893-1918). Live music had been brought to a painful halt. Venues, like the Troy Music Hall, were empty. Being in that space at that time felt like inhabiting a ghostly shell; there was no clear vision of the future. I know we can all vividly go back to the feeling of that moment. A breathless three days after recording, on March 20, 2020, I released Lili.
As I revisit this album three years later, it’s clear that Lili had a sense of urgency surrounding it: it was a means of musical connection at a time of extreme disconnection. It was likely the only thing I knew to do in that confusing moment.
Despite barely marketing it at the time, Lili has had its small moments over the last three years. It's been featured on BBC Radio a handful of times, and it's gathered a neat amount of digital sales. All told, I'm really proud of the album and its tender successes. It feels like an old friend. But I've had this nagging feeling for a while that it deserves a 2nd look. As far as I can tell, it's still the only album out there that contains these complete piano works, collected in one place.
As Lili Boulanger continues to gain much-deserved attention as a historically-significant composer (more on her below), I decided to reissue the album with some new vision and direction. It has been remastered by Sam Torres, incorporates new artwork, and will be available in CD format for the first time. The artwork now includes a not-often-seen archival photo of Lili Boulanger with her beloved dog, Fachoun (seen at the top of this email). The photos have been lovingly adorned by Troy-based collage artist Tessia Bekelja who also did the artwork for In Our Softening.
Lili Reissue Details
The reissued and remastered digital version is available now on Bandcamp.
~If you have previously bought Lili, the audio has been updated on Bandcamp with the remastered versions. You can download these new files at any time.~
CDs will be available on Bandcamp on Tuesday, May 2 in a very limited quantity. If you would like to buy one before they become publicly available, please write to me and we'll make arrangements.
Boulanger Initiative: WoCo Fest Performance on May 6
Saturday, May 6
1:00 PM
Mansion at Strathmore (Rockville, MD)
Tickets / Info
I'm so delighted to be performing on the incredible WoCo Fest this year, headlined by Roomful of Teeth. I'll be presenting a program exploring Lili Boulanger's legacy, performing her complete piano works as well as her complete violin/piano chamber works with violinist Masha Polishchuk. Tickets are sliding-scale and get you access to all of the daytime events in the Mansion on May 6. Learn more.
Who is Lili Boulanger?
As promised, in brief.
Marie-Juliette Olga "Lili" Boulanger (1893-1918) was a pioneering composer who, despite passing at the young age of 24, left the world with incredibly rich, beautiful compositions.
Unfortunately, Lili Boulanger’s life and work have long been overshadowed by her older sister’s legacy - that of famed pedagogue Nadia Boulanger - and the now mythic narrative around Lili’s untimely death. It is impossible to separate her life’s trajectory from her chronic illness, but her story is more than that. Not only did she leave us with a rich body of musical work, but at the age of 19, she was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome, the most prestigious award for French composers. She was the kind of young musician who had quickly moved beyond her studies to find a mature, artistic voice that was all her own. Beyond her musical prodigiousness, she also devoted her time and energy to the war effort during WWI. She and her sister started a foundation and gazette that helped French musicians who were serving in the war communicate with their families and with each other.
At the age of two, Lili contracted bronchial pneumonia and her health was forever compromised. She died on March 15, 1918 from Crohn’s Disease at the age of 24. It’s tempting to compare her work to that of other musicians. While most composers could have only dreamed of accomplishing what she did at her young age, the fact is, her music stands on its own. Her life was full of vision, as a musician, citizen, and human. As modern listeners, we owe it to that vision to connect with her music on its own unique terms.
What I'm Listening To
Any and all Nils Frahm. He's been a longtime source of deep inspiration for me, but he's particularly at the forefront this week because I'm seeing him perform live for the first time... on my birthday!
I love you all. Stay soft.