Chris Castro - Babel

The impetus for writing Babel was our ancient need to understand the origins of life and mortality using the art of storytelling. The title is a broad allegory for the many different creation myths in the world. Although I do not belong to any of the cultures whose stories or poems appear in this piece, I chose the works for their beauty and variety.

The composition of Babel was a struggle. It was a challenge to select the right texts and stories, as I wanted to establish a tone reverent yet humorous, but serious enough to shed light upon the common human desire for explanation.

I lovingly joke that this piece is a Concerto for Storyteller. It is truly a symphonic concerto in the spirit of works such as Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, Shostakovich’s first Violin Concerto, Gubaidulina’s Bassoon Concerto, and Gil Evans’ Porgy and Bess. In Babel, my soloist is Susan Strauss. The immense challenge of our work together is that she tells the story differently every time, as only the best Storytellers do, without text.

I have had the honor of composing music to accompany Susan’s tremendous storytelling since 2019. Composing Babel was a joy because I was given the creative freedom not only to select the stories she told but also to build works around them for choir only. From Susan’s vast knowledge of global myths and legends, I have chosen three:

The first, which I have named Calling, is a creation myth of the Skidi Pawnee who are indigenous to the central plains of Nebraska and Kansas. The second, called Corn is Born, is a retelling of the Zuni people’s legend about the origins of corn in New Mexico. The third, which I have named Golden Apples, recounts the birth of Zeus who is the supreme deity and leader of the ancient Greek pantheon.

Surrounding the stories are four partsongs for choir alone:

God’s World depicts poet Edna Saint Vincent Millay’s agonizing attempts to describe how beautiful the world is. In Achilles’ Shield, the poet Homer describes the forging of the warrior’s shield, often seen as a metaphor for the forging of the world. La Biblioteca de Babel (The Library of Babel) is Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges’ description of a rather mundane, endless, and eternal library representing the all-consuming human quest for knowledge. Let Me Tell You includes two short excerpts from two different writers: Paul Blackburn and Fernando Pessoa. This final closing text encapsulates the somber yet ridiculous idea that all groups of people, throughout human history, repeat the same basic concepts for better or for worse.

Shawn Okpebholo - Fractured Water

FRACTURED /ˈfrakCHərd/ adjective: split or broken and unable to function or exist.

WATER /ˈwôdər / noun: Water; noun: a colorless, transparent, odorless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.

Fractured Water is a trio for flute, cello, and piano, where each performer—at various points throughout the composition—doubles on water percussion. This work was commissioned by The Fifth House Ensemble (5HE) for their Rivers Empyrean Concert Series. 5HE writes, “at a time when the environment is more threatened than ever with pollution and our life-giving waterways at risk, 5HE traces the life cycle of water from its metaphorical descent from the heavens as rain, to its long journey in streams and rivers informed by conservation experts and ecologists.” In Fractured Water, I attempt to bring awareness to pressing concerns about water pollution, conservation, and perseveration with a particular focus on the Chicago River. Living in the Chicagoland, this river has personal significance, not only for its beauty but also as a sustaining life-source for people and animals in this region. Perhaps the most famous aspect of the Chicago River is that in 1887, through innovative human-engineering, the flow of the river was reversed to deal with an environmental and sanitary crisis due to pollution and waste.

I have found that discussions on the topic of the environment and water pollution center on three distinct narratives: sincere concern (shedding light on a genuine life-altering issue); argument (working out how to solve these issues, often highjacked by diametrically opposed political debates); and hope. My interpretation of and engagement with these three narratives is the source of my musical expression. Because of the reversing of the Chicago River’s flow, throughout this piece, there are instances, some subtle, of musical retrograde. Despite the risks posed to vital waterways throughout the world, Fractured Water has elements of hope, as I reference in the spiritual, Down in the River to Pray.

Mark Winges - Seasons Falling Through the Clouds

The subtitle A Cycle for Voices and Instruments is probably the most succinct (and accurate) description of Seasons Falling Through the Clouds. Not only are there cyclic elements in the music, but the poems work together as parts of a cycle as well. The poems all have times and seasons as their primary or secondary subject matter, as demonstrated in the movement from spring (Blossom), to summer (Two Haiku) and on to late fall (All Hallows). Melodic material is shared by all movements as well. The opening motive of the first movement (E, F#, B, A#) permeates the composition, sometimes in the foreground, sometimes in the background.

Setting off the cyclic unity of the piece is the ordering and character of the individual movements. I deliberately tried to contrast the individual movements musically, based on the obvious differences in the mood of the individual poems. Both Two Haiku and The Ground Mist are slow evocations that are quite dissimilar to the more active textures in Blossom or Rain. All Hallows is a slightly longer movement, and in a sense sums up the entire cycle.

I also want to draw attention to the role of the instruments. The piece is a real chamber work; the instruments and the chorus are equal partners in the music. Even beyond the texts and various technical aspects that tie the piece together, it is this combined sound-world of these specific instruments and choral voices that create a musical whole.

Seasons Falling Through the Clouds was originally written in 1992 / 93. When reviewing the score last summer, I couldn’t help making minor changes, especially in the vocal fabric. Clarity, and ease in performance were goals in the revisions. This performance is the premiere of the revised version.

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