Wounds Heal (2023)

a song cycle in three movements for voice, flute, violin, cello, piano, and percussion.

The first movement, Motýl (or The Butterfly), is a setting of text by a young man in the WWII concentration camp Terazín. He would die there two years after writing this powerful image of desperation in wartime. This is a setting of his words in his native Czech. Wilfred Owen was perhaps the most famous of the WWI soldier-poets, well known in musical circles for the setting of many of his poems in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. In Futility, the poet is standing next to his friend who has just been shot and killed in front of him. In the confusion and disbelief that follows, he reasons that the best course of action is to pull his body into the sun, because the sun brings life to all things. The last movement, Wounds Heal, is a compilation by Dave Hunsaker of text by John Muir that captures something that we are lucky enough to be able to do – find solace in nature when the world seems out of control. Sadly, most people in the world do not have this luxury, but to affect change, one must take care of oneself first.

Includes the poetry of Pavel Friedmann (1921 – 1944) ,Wilfred Owen (1893 – 1918), and John Muir (1838 – 1914)

Order Score and Parts

Email Todd@WTHunt.com to inquire.

Instrumentation

Flute/Alto Flute, Violin, Cello, Vibraphone, and Piano
I. Motýl for Soprano or Tenor
II. Futility for Tenor
III. Wounds Heal for Soprano

Duration

approx 17 minutes

Premiere

February 17, 2024
Juneau Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé Auditoirum
Orpheus Project

Tess Altiveros, Soprano
Jay Query, Tenor
Skiba J. Wuoti, Soprano
Sally Schlichting, Flutes
Elena Levi, Violin
Ben Holtz, Cello
Jamila Hla Shwe, Piano
Kristin Mabry, Vibraphone