"The Sunflowers" is a song by Lori Laitman setting the poetry of Mary Oliver. The song is part of Laitman's song cycle Sunflowers.

The composer's note as well as one of the audio clips provided are made possible through a collaboration between the Hampsong Foundation and SongFest. In this audio clip, the performers are Leann Schuering, soprano, and Andrew Rosenblum, piano.

The second audio clip features Natalie Mann, soprano, and Jeffrey Panko, piano, from the album Experience. Used with permission of the performers.

The third audio clip features Sari Gruber, soprano, and Lori Laitman, piano, from the album Dreaming.. Used with permission of the performers.

Text

[The text of this song is not available.]

Composer's Note

“Adelaide Whitaker commissioned ‘The Sunflowers’ as a gift to her voice teacher Thomas Houser, who introduced her to the joys of poetry and specifically to the poetry of Mary Oliver. Mary Oliver’s work presented unique challenges because her poems were longer and more complex than much of the poetry I had previously set. Richly atmospheric, these songs run the gamut of tempos and moods. ‘The Sunflowers’ opens with a swaying piano accompaniment meant to portray sunflowers standing in a field.”

–Lori Laitman