Completed in February, 2008.

Dedicated to Michael Kerschner. World premiere on June 7, 2008 by the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, Michael Kerschner, director. Also performed by the Yale Schola Cantorum and the Washington National Opera Chorus.

Text: "Sleeping at Last" by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894).

PROGRAM NOTE

In “Sleeping at Last,” Christina Rossetti ponders a unique kind of afterlife. Her mystical vision paints a quiet, still death, marked not by heraldic trumpets, but rather by eternal sleep. This silent repose is painted in my piece with gently undulating chords in the lower voices; though they rock in every direction, they are always held fast by an unchanging bass note. Above these chords floats a soprano melody, wide-ranging and expressive, but eerily disconnected from the sounds below.

This piece is dedicated to Michael Kerschner and the Young New Yorkers‘ Chorus.

LISTEN

Recorded by the Yale Schola Cantorum, directed by Simon Carrington, during a repertoire read-through session.