Notes by Michael O’Brien:
THE IMP OF THE PERVERSE is a journey through the life, memory and imagination of Edgar Allen Poe. We begin in Baltimore on the last night of Poe’s life, when Edgar is pursued by a menace of unknown origin. Poe escapes into his memories, but this intangible, shape-shifting enemy still pursues him. The « Sun Aria » depicts a happy memory in which Edgar frolics in the sunshine with his young wife/cousin, Sissy. The « Parlour Song » depicts a domestic memory that takes a very dark turn. The title « The Imp of the Perverse » comes from an essay by Poe in which he describes an « imp » within his own psyche that constantly, wantonly impels him towards self-harm.

Notes from composer:
This performance is a special arrangement written for three female voices, in which the role of Poe is replaced by the imaginary apparition of Helen, Poe’s dead young mother, sung by a soprano.