Positive Note Films is delighted to announce the YouTube Premiere of a new film: The Apple Orchard with Music by Lori Laitman, Poetry by Dana Gioia and Illustrations by Ian Beck.
The online premiere was March 22, 2024.
The film alternates between a performance of Laitman’s melodic music by tenor Daniel Norman and pianist Simon Lepper and slow animation created from watercolors by Ian Beck, which were commissioned for this project. This video is a follow-up to our film of Lori’s Sarong Song and follows the same model of a hybrid presentation of classical song, poetry, and original art.
Lori says of the project:
“The Apple Orchard was composed in 2004 when I discovered Dana Gioia’s beautiful poem. Its evocative story and exquisite language, particularly the phrase “spring’s ephemeral cathedral,” drew me in. I dedicated the song to my father-in-law, Dr. Gershen Rosenblum, as an 80th birthday gift. During the pandemic, I teamed with Dan Norman and Positive Note Films, and this is our second release. Dan and pianist Simon Lepper’s extraordinary rendition of the song blend with famed illustrator Ian Beck’s beautiful custom watercolors. This merging of visual art with music and poetry is a new way of presenting artsong.”