Del Tredici, David - Highlands, Farewell (from '4 Heartfelt Anthems') description:  SSAA ISMN 9790051474363 Publisher Boosey & Hawkes (New York) Series Transient Glory

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The Transient Glory series presents new choral works by some of America’s most engaging contemporary composers, specially written to celebrate the art of children’s choirs and the transient but glorious nature of young singing voices. The works, which were all commissioned for a concert performance series by the Young People’s Chorus of New York, promise to make a significant addition to the repertoire for children’s and youth choruses.

The Composer writes:
To be invited to write for a cappella treble, or youth, choir took my breath away. For a composer accustomed to writing larger-than-life music, it seemed impossible to distill myself down so. But I was intrigued. In this traumatic post-9/11 world, I felt an urge to connect with, and even comfort, the youngest generation of budding musicians. "Heart" and "felt" are two words that directed my choice of texts: I wanted to tell something about myself, as well as about the joys of childhood (as best I remember them).

My valedictory, and most extended, anthem is Robert Burns’ Highlands, Farewell (Aria), whose first (and oft-repeated) line, "My heart’s in the Highlands," suggested to me the overall title for these anthems. This poem indeed touches my heart and, as I see it, offers a passionate and reluctant farewell to childhood itself. The sense of moment is emphasized by augmenting the choral forces with a soprano soloist and pianist, who open the work with an extended aria. The ensuing choral commentary and soprano cadenza lead to a repetition and climactic development of the aria theme, now shared by chorus, soloist and piano equally. Like childhood and all good things, however, this comes to an end, as it must ...eventually. Here, the ending is a triumphant C-major chord, capped by a high C for all the sopranos.

- David Del Tredici, 16 February 2003

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