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.