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Lisa Reagan

HE WISHES for the CLOTHES of HEAVEN

self-released
Release Date: August 23, 2024

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1 HE WISHES for the CLOTHES of HEAVEN  

Lisa Reagan’s singular album WHAT WE NEED IS HERE, which marries her original music and vocals to the words of her favorite poets, opened a new area of expression in her musical arsenal. “He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven,” the second single and video to be released from the album, identifies and mirrors the honest and
vulnerable imagery of William Butler Yeats’ poem to his muse Maud Gonne.

“When I was choosing poems for this project, I knew I had to include Yeats. ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’ is a beautifully descriptive love poem and I thought it would make a great song. The first thing I do when composing is to speak the words in rhythm, to get a feel for the time signature and where the lyric naturally falls. My co-writer, Paul Buono, began with a cool, laid-back loop that had sort of a jazz feel to it. As I started speaking the words of the poem over the beat, the melody started to come together. Then producer Jamshied Sharifi took it to

another realm; his version of the song was at once celestial and dreamy, which I loved. With Jamshied’s gorgeous orchestration, the song grew into a sensual landscape for Yeat’s words,” revealed Lisa Reagan.

The classically trained soprano graced the stage of The Kennedy Center as part of the Washington National Opera Company for over two decades, and had the honor of performing with Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Rene Fleming among others. Her inspiration to take on some of the most iconic words in the English language lay in her desire to venture into “worlds that seem to lie below the surface in my normal waking life, and accept the responsibility to honor them.”

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