Illuminating O’Keeffe: Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light
There was not a chance the rain would keep me away from seeing The Brightness of Light with Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry this past Wednesday. A tender piece written for Fleming by composer Kevin Puts, led under the baton of Nashville’s own Music Director Laureate Giancarlo Guerrero, I was sure it would be an evening of fantastic music. Puts was commissioned by the Eastman School of Music to create this new work, and as he and Fleming are both alumni of the institution, they worked closely together to shape the piece. The Brightness of Light follows the love story of American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and American photographer Alfred Stieglitz, and incorporates much of the correspondence found in their letters to one another over the course of their relationship – the central focus, however, is on O’Keeffe’s journey. O’Keeffe’s character is written for and portrayed by Fleming, and Gilfry portrays Stieglitz. The piece is paired with projections of photographs, paintings, and letters brought together by Wendall K. Harrington. The images used are either creations of both artists’ work, or photographs taken of the pair. I generally have a strong hesitation with screen projections being used during a musical performance, but this display added an immersive element that supported Puts’ work beautifully.
It begins with Fleming, exposed with minimal orchestra, singing “My first memory is of the brightness of light, light all around.” Much of Fleming’s character remains in emotive land for the entirety of the song cycle – O’Keeffe is tender, reverent to the world around her, and intensely honest. We see much of this in the exposed Introduction, and again in Ache, The Thing You Call Holy, and Sunset. These pieces of the song cycle carry the core of O’Keeffe’s character and the heart of her letters to Stieglitz. She also has some playful moments, particularly in Violin, that open the door a little further into a different side of her humanity. Gilfry is given two solo movements in A Soul Like Yours and Faraway, both pieces heavily focused on more emotionally intense moments. Stieglitz’s character has harsher emotional shifts, ranging from outbursts of passion to intimate reflections. Puts indicated that the piece developed to include Gilfry’s portrayal of Stieglitz’s character and I believe it was a great addition – this allows us to experience the complexity of their relationship and their lives as married artists apart, and having pieces of Stieglitz gives us further insight to O’Keeffe. It is no surprise that Fleming and Gilfry navigate these characters with poise and ease. Fleming’s vocal line ranges from exposed and suspended to full voiced and impassioned, always with her honest expression and commitment to the character. Gilfry’s vocal color offers a depth to the emotional shifts and dynamic variances, again aligning with raw honesty found within the text for this piece. The orchestra supports this emotional journey beautifully, creating an atmosphere that keeps us immersed in the piece from start to finish.
As if the beauty of this orchestral song cycle weren’t enough, post-intermission provided us with a treat – a myriad of classical musical theatre pieces! The orchestra kicked us off with Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, and it is always such a joy to watch Guerrero conduct. His vigorous and dynamic style usher in so much life to the music he showcases. Everything about the second half of this performance was fun – we got to hear both Fleming and Gilfry chat with the audience in between pieces about their experience performing the song cycle and memories from past performances of the musical theatre repertoire. Fleming invited the audience to join her during “I Could Have Danced All Night,” from My Fair Lady and everyone was more than happy to participate. Gilfry’s performance of “Luck Be a Lady,” from Guys and Dolls was nothing short of exciting and there was quite an uproar while he sang the final note. My personal highlights were of their duet “Anything You Can Do,” from Annie Get Your Gun and of Fleming’s performance of The Diva – a piece written for her and about her. It was truly an honor to watch Fleming perform and execute such flawless singing throughout a range of genres; she is The Diva for a reason!
I so enjoyed my evening at the symphony and getting to experience Puts’ The Brightness of Light alongside the whimsical second half of musical theatre repertoire. It was a dynamic performance and I applaud all the musicians involved. I’m looking forward to rolling into their Summer Concert Series and gearing up for an exciting 2026/27 season!
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Angela Stenzel is a soprano based in Nashville. She is currently a member of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, Vocal Arts Nashville, and has performed with the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation.
That sounds absolutely wonderful. I’ve been meaning to explore more of Kevin Puts’ work – it’s fantastic to hear about such a beautiful piece performed with Renée Fleming.