(mis)communications:
Short Songs of Desperate Measure

(mis)communications: short songs of desperate measure is a song cycle, about twelve minutes in duration, for soprano and piano. The texts are set to anonymous classifieds from the "Personals" sections of Chicago's free weekley paper, The Reader.

The full cycle was premiered in November 2001 by soprano Marissa Famiglietti and pianist Anthony Romaniuk at Manhattan School of Music. It was performed in Chicago by soprano Nythia Rivera and pianist Gary Geiger, at the first Yes is a World performance (January 2002).

I. Sacred heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, helper of the homeless, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. Amen.
II. Semi-ironic that Gaelic heaven, er, haven, though semi-remote, is the only affordable, generous, sf SF alternative. Not that anyone cares, re RE, for any reason.
III. This is not a threat. Where are my children? She promised me children! Sterno.
IV. A drunken sterno at Berlin shows off to his boyfriend by pushing his finger into my chest and shouting "I'm king of the world!"
V. Below, rushing water fractures the fluid palace of clouds above.
VI. Butterflies flutter by.
VII. Were you at the Parthenon Restaurant more than three years ago? I had vegetarian pasticcio and you said that was what made my eyes so green. I still have not forgotten you and the connection we had. You were waiting for a cab. Most of all, I want to know your name and how you are no matter whether you are single or married. I am the author of a number of books and hope we can connect and perhaps become a story ourselves, if you are presently unattached. It’s still important, though, to just know who you are because you were one of the nicest people I have ever met and I meet many people. Please, looking for the real you, not someone who says they were there but wasn’t. It’s just a chance that I might find you here.
VIII. Most Chicagoans drive like they got their license off a cereal box.
IX. This is not a threat: I wish I was homeward bound. Sterno.
X. Truth is, I wasn't the first to deny sex. The lousy, lousy sex.
XI. Can you tell the difference between a hearted laugh and a forced one? With my heart and soul, I do love you. Can't you tell?
XII. She was frightened even more by the sound of him than she had been by his silence, but there was no alternative. She started down the stairs.

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(( Nythia Rivera, soprano; Gary Geiger, piano ))