Rilke Songs
Stan Grill
About this work:
These songs were composed for a performance by the Pandolfis Consort, an early music group. I had intended to write one song, but after reading through many of Rilke's poems, I thought these two poems worked together perfectly. “Buddha in Der Glorie” describes a state of being that perhaps we all, in some way, aspire to – but cannot achieve. It reflects our yearning for connectedness with the universe around us – and for eternity. “Der Panther” is the opposite, but truer description of the human condition. We all pace behind the thousand bars created by the limitations of our imaginations, knowledge, capabilities and illusions. Occasionally a glimmer of something beyond what we are capable of gets through – goes right to the core of our being – and then disappears. I thought that the two poems belonged together, since “Der Panther” describes the way we are, and “Buddha in Der Glorie” describes what we yearn to become.
Year composed: 2009
Duration: 00:09:00
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Voice with Chamber/Jazz Ensemble, 2-5 Players
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: soprano, viola d'amore, violoncello