Life Force

'... a profound, unusual and striking work ...'

How to describe A Hopeful Place, a song cycle for soprano and chamber orchestra, with music by Dan Redfeld and text by John Gabriel Koladziej? In nine movements it portrays a woman's life, chronologically, from birth to death, with her life force described in music and words. The focus is on soprano Kristi Holden, with the rich backing of the Hollywood Studio Symphony which, with only twenty or so players, whips up a modern symphonic sound, pointed with harp, drum kit and a variety of delicate percussion. From the start of the long orchestral introduction, we're in a fairy-tale fantasy world with a much larger feel than a song cycle — the introduction to maybe a musical or an opera...