I Can Recall: A song cycle of life and death for soprano and piano, is the composer’s earliest work currently available for performance, composed while he was a 20-year-old college student. Here Boyer was lyricist as well as composer, tracing the entire journey of one woman’s life, from conception in her mother’s womb, through birth, infancy, adolescence, love, marriage, birth of her own children, mature life through old age, and reflections before death. Stylistically, the work combines elements of the classical song cycle with those of contemporary musical theatre and popular song. The work was recorded by soprano Constance Hauman with the composer at the piano; the recording is available from Propulsive Music.

Instrumentation

Soprano and Piano

Text

By the composer

Duration

42:00

Composition Date

Composed 1990; revised and expanded 1999

Performance History

— Premiered by Diane Alexander and Stephen Martorella at Rhode Island College, October 26, 1990
— Performed by Constance Hauman and Peter Boyer at Claremont Graduate University, March 27, 1999
— Recorded by Constance Hauman and Peter Boyer, May 1999
— Performed by Kerry Walsh and Peter Boyer at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Eugene, November 2000
— Various performances of individual songs

Boyer: 3 Songs from “I Can Recall”

Constance Hauman, Soprano
Peter Boyer, Piano

II. The World Is A Big Place

IV. This Must Be Love

VIII. I Can Recall

The complete recording is available from Propulsive Music.