COMMISSIONED BY THE WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
THE WORK WAS PREMIERED BY LARA CIEKIEWICZ (SOPRANO) AND THE WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (COND. ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE), CENTENNIAL HALL, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA ON 27 FEBRUARY 2015.
DURATION
20 minutes
INSTRUMENTATION
Soprano and orchestra (2222/4331/2perc/pno/strings)
REVIEWS
“Ho seems to hold nothing back…When guest vocalist Lara Ciekiewicz enters the stage, it is as though a benevolent wise woman has descended upon their midst. Her soaring soprano, climaxing on the word “hope,” expands the work further with her radiant presence earning a standing ovation by the clearly moved crowd of 1,005.” – Winnipeg Free Press – Postlude: Song of Hope review
Postlude: Song of Hope:
Postlude was commissioned by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. With “human rights” as the theme, I drew my inspiration from two composers I have long admired: Valentin Silvestrov and Arvo Párt. Using them as my models, I decided to write a work that would represent my take on two musical concepts: “postludialism” (as mastered by Silvestrov) and “Holy minimalism” (as associated to the music of Párt). Throughout the work, there is an expression of individual struggle that eventually leads to a spiritual awakening. During the second half of the piece, the soprano emerges expressing sentiments of hope and optimism for the future of humanity (text written by Chinese-Canadian writer Lien Chao).
Rent or order score and parts here.
Winnipeg
Lara Ciekiewicz (soprano), Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, conductor Alexander Mickelthwate. 27 February 2015.
