Wisdom 2:23

Wisdom 2:23 Part 1: Quoniam Deus/Hoti Ho Theos Part 2: Quoniam DeusPart 3: Hoti Ho TheosPart 4: Coda (Hominem inexterminabilem/Anthropon ep' aphtharsia)Part 5: Reflections (Kai Eikona)The choral text is taken from The Book of Wisdom, sometimes referred to as The Wisdom of Solomon - a component of the 'Greek Old Testament', or Septuagint, believed to have been written during the Jewish Hellenistic period (i.e., the 2nd or 1st century BCE). The passage chosen (2:23) - "For God created...
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Wisdom 2:23 Part 1: Quoniam Deus/Hoti Ho Theos Part 2: Quoniam DeusPart 3: Hoti Ho TheosPart 4: Coda (Hominem inexterminabilem/Anthropon ep' aphtharsia)Part 5: Reflections (Kai Eikona)The choral text is taken from The Book of Wisdom, sometimes referred to as The Wisdom of Solomon - a component of the 'Greek Old Testament', or Septuagint, believed to have been written during the Jewish Hellenistic period (i.e., the 2nd or 1st century BCE). The passage chosen (2:23) - "For God created humanity to be inextinguishable, and made humanity in the image of its own eternity" - suggests that humans, imperfect as we now may seem to be, will inevitably be revealed as the personification of wisdom (God's creative agents). Attempting to reconcile this incongruity, the music is set in two languages: Greek (for SATB choir) and Latin (for SSA choir). Each setting is designed as a separate, stand-alone composition, but the two can also be sung simultaneously, which is how the sequence begins. The cyclical nature of Part 5 - the constancy and repetitive turning of the chord progression in its various incarnations - is meant to invoke the qualities of melting, shedding of layers, and distillation, eventually revealing the primacy of our eternal nature.This work was commissioned in 2013 by Vanessa Voskuil for her evening-length choreographic work The Student. Length: 10'