Second coming, The
Ellen Lindquist
About this work:
As much as the work itself, William Butler Yeats’ vision of time and history inspired my setting of his poem titled “The Second Coming.” His philosophy on these subjects can be represented by the image of two interlocking cones (which he refers to as “gyres”): the tip of each forms the centerpoint of the base of other, and the length of each cone symbolizes a span of 2000 years. Time itself moves in an ever-widening spiral from tip to base; once at the edge of the base, the spiral begins to tighten as time whirls towards the centerpoint. The arrival at this point signifies the turning of the millennium, which Yeats believes to be a time of complete reversal of “good” and “evil”… a time during which “…The best lack all conviction, while the worst/ Are full of passionate intensity…” Once having reached this point, time begins to spiral in the opposite direction, following the shape of the second cone, and the 2000-year cycle of moral inversion continues.
“The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats is set to music by permission of A.P. Watt, Ltd. on behalf of Anne and Michael Yeats.
The Second Coming was first performed on March 2, 1993 at the Middlebury College Concert Hall in Middlebury, Vermont. The premiere was part of a residency with the contemporary music ensemble Aequalis: Elizabeth Mohr, violoncello; Sandra Hebert, piano; and Michael Parola, percussion. They were joined by Chelsea Dippel, soprano; Edward Lovett, baritone; Branigan Sherman, clarinet; and Jennifer Lewin, violin. I revised the piece in 2001. The Second Coming is dedicated to James Grant, with great thanks.
Year composed: 1993
Duration: 00:12:30
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Two or More Solo Voices with Chamber/Jazz Ensemble, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Clarinet, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Piano, 1 Violin, 1 Cello, 1 Soprano, 1 Tenor
Instrumentation notes: solo voices (ST), cl, perc (1 player), pno, vln, vc