“Panoramic in scope...its set-list spans no less than four centuries...Credit must be given to AGAVE on curatorial grounds for the historical breadth of the material featured...Versatility must be Kennedy's middle name...
One comes away from the release believing there's nothing musically AGAVE can't do.”
Ron Schepper, textura
“The project is anchored by the light, versatile voice of soprano Michele Kennedy, making her solo recording debut...The album, jumping rapidly between time periods and subject matter, challenges her on everything from Baroque ornamentation to Haitian Creole. … Plenty of attention seems to have been paid to the pacing and order of the album, creating the push and pull of tension that provides intriguing contrast. Although these works were written centuries apart, their placement unearths unexpected similarities… By mixing the selections in this way, the ensemble forges connections deeper than just the composers’ shared womanhood, ensuring the hour-long journey feels truly AGAVE’s own.”
Stephanie Manning, Early Music America
“I am overjoyed to share this bold celebration of female mastery with the world. … This album exemplifies how I want to move in this field: in a way that honors the resilience of our ancestors, that celebrates our collective bravery and emotional breadth, and that is inspired by the commanding, healing, and deeply compassionate role of the divine feminine in our lives and its potential for humanity.”
— Michele Kennedy, soprano
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AGAVE: In Her Hands
Album:
Recorded: First Presbyterian San Anselmo, California
December 26-30, 2022
Running Time: 65:04
1 Hold On
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
2 Prelude & Fugue in E Minor, Op. 16, No. 3
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)
3 Lizette, ma chère amie from Five Creole Songs
Camille Nickerson (1888-1982)
4 I. Adagio ma non troppo from String Quartet in E-Flat Minor
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)
5 Canzona Seconda à 4
Claudia Francesca Rusca (1593-1676)
6 Troubled Water
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
7 In braccio di Maria
Antonia Padoani Bembo (1643?-1715?)
8 Voluntary No. 8 in E Minor
Theophania Cecil (1782-1879)
9 To My Little Son
Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953)
10 Erinnerung
Dora Pejačević (1885-1923)
11 Night
Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953)
12 Canzona Prima à 4:' ‘La Borromea’
Claudia Francesca Rusca (1593-1676)
13 Sunset
Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953)
14 Forgotten
Catharina Josepha Pratten (1821-1895)
15 You Won’t Find a Man Like Jesus
Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953)
16 Pastorale
Ethel Kathleen Sutton (1873-1955)
17 Die Sterne
Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)
18 L’Eraclito amoroso, Op. 2, No. 14
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
19 She’s Got the Whole World in Her Hands
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Links: AGAVE | Michele Kennedy, soprano
