Rising

Colouristic tour de force 

Lawrence Brownlee ranks among the world’s leading bel canto singers. As an opera star, he is intimately familiar with Mozart, Puccini and Rossini, but has now turned his attention towards African-American composers and poets on the Grammy-nominated recital album Rising. 

The Rising project took shape during the pandemic, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. “It was difficult to predict what the future would bring,” remembers Lawrence Brownlee, “but more and more people were starting to make room for black voices.” 

The title of Brownlee’s programme provides an answer – rising, always rising.

– The New York Times, Oussama Zahr   

Poetry from the Harlem Renaissance 

Brownlee also wants to pave the way for others. Six of today’s leading African-American composers – Damien Sneed, Brandon Spencer, Jasmine Barnes, Joel Thompson and Shawn E. Okpebholo – were commissioned to set tones to poetry from the Harlem Renaissance, the cultural revival among African Americans in Harlem, New York, in the 1920s. 

Poems by Alice Dunbar Nelson, James Baldwin, Claude McKay, Langstun Hughes and others have been given melodies. Brownlee has also embarked on a sampling of existing songs written by Margaret Bonds, Robert Owen and Jeremiah Evans, all famous composers from the 20th century.   

Beautiful and dramatic chamber music 

Rising has become a powerful, beautiful and important chamber music album in which Brownlee joins forces with the dynamic pianist XX. When they perform together on the Main Stage of the Oslo Opera House, it is with a repertoire that is vital to changing our history. 

“We’ve had enough of suffering. We are much more than our struggles. Our history is also about positivity, hope, dreams, family, pride, passion and romance,” says Brownlee. 

Here you kan listen to the album Rising.