Winter Reverie

Commissioned by the Seattle Women’s Chorus in 2005 and premiered the following year for their winter concert. “In The Restaurant” was published in “Rivers to the Sea” (1915) and “Winter Dusk” in “Flame and Shadow” (1920). This is a tonal and melodic piece in which the chorus describes the scenes and the piano and oboe paint the picture of walks through a winter landscape. The first poem captures a fleeting moment of warmth and companionship that contrasts with the dark, cold and snowy street scene, evoking a sense of longing and nostalgia. The second poem captures a sense of awe and appreciation for the natural world, offering a moment of respite from worldly concerns and reflecting on the gift of life. There is a 16-bar optional soprano solo in the B section.

In the restaurant

THE darkened street was muffled with the snow,
The falling flakes had made your shoulders white,
And when we found a shelter from the night
Its glamor fell upon us like a blow.
The clash of dishes and the viol and bow
Mingled beneath the fever of the light.
The heat was full of savors, and the bright
Laughter of women lured the wine to flow.
A little child ate nothing while she sat
Watching a woman at a table there
Lean to a kiss beneath a drooping hat.
The hour went by, we rose and turned to go,
The somber street received us from the glare,
And once more on your shoulders fell the snow.

Winter Dusk

I watch the great clear twilight
Veiling the ice bowed trees;
Their branches tinkle faintly
With crystal melodies.

The larches bend their silver
Over the hush of snow;
One star is lighted in the west,
Two in the zenith glow.

For a moment I have forgotten
Wars and women who mourn–
I think of the mother who bore me
And thank her that I was born.