SSA Children's Chorus, Piano, & Harp
16 minutes
|
SUMMER
Listen-- days pulsing and ripe, the drawing of warmth from the air’s sheath-- a ritual to hold back the silence, remain suspended still. AUTUMN Sweet wind slices the morning open like an apple. Sun soaked and wet with wine, the leaves subside into the steeping afternoon. These are the softly dying days. WINTER The army of branches tangled in outstretched confusion stands alone in its white desert. Tired shadows fold into bitter winds drifting snow replacing muted voices. SPRING After thawing our breath awakes faintly and spaced apart like bird tracks-- Days brimming with the promise of unfurling, another year weathered and revealed in love and loss. Poetry by Pablo Uribe © 2013 |
 The NCC at The Broad Stage
When I first heard about the opportunity to write a piece for the National Children’s Chorus, I thought about what texts might be appropriate. The more I thought about the unique and beautiful sound of the children’s choir itself, the more I felt I would need new poems. My aim was to make use of the widely untapped sonic opportunities of the children's choir, but to do so with timeless subject matter. I asked poet Pablo Uribe, lifelong best friend and high school classmate, if he would write the texts. Pablo has written the following about the poems:
“A year’s arc is one of profound change, but rather than focus on the more obvious macro-level changes of a year, I hoped to situate the reader deep in the heart of each individual season. In doing this I was able to focus on the moments of internal metamorphosis where a season reveals itself and its own mechanisms. Thus the summer heat is a sword, an afternoon a cup of tea, a snowfall the formation of a desert, our breath a foot print. Change endures; we endure.” There are many existing choral works with either piano or harp accompaniment. After spending some time with Pablo’s work, I chose to use both, which gave me a wider palette and one that I felt the poems required. Each of Pablo’s four poems has its own tempo as well as temperature in my mind—they are alive with their respective seasons. I use the individual and combined sonic possibilities of the piano and harp to try to musically express the world of each poem within its seasons. Weathered and Revealed was premiered on June 14, 2013 at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA by the LA Chapter of The National Children's Chorus, conducted by Luke McEndarfer, with Marcia Dickstein playing harp and Dr. Vivian Liu playing piano. Pablo and I plan a full-scale revision of the piece. |