Scenes and Weavings - IV. The Snow I Hated

Scenes and Weavings (2012)

Scenes and Weavings is a set of short pieces for a cappella mixed choir. The work is based on translations by David G. Lanoue (www.haikuguy.com) of poems by Japanese haiku master Kobayashi Issa. In exploring Issa's texts, I was struck by the powerful imagery conveyed by his concisely constructed haiku. I was further inspired by the dramatic progression within the works, and I sought to capture the same sense of drama and progression in my settings of Issa's 'scenes'.

Scenes and Weavings was written in the Fall 0f 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. 'The Snow I Hated', the fourth piece in the set, was premiered by the 2011-2012 USC Thornton Chamber Singers, led by Jo-Michael Scheibe, as part of 'American Voices' at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, on April 26, 2012.

USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Jo-Michael Scheibe conducting

Text:
The snow I hated
all at once
has melted away

Performance History -

IV. The Snow I Hated
USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Jo-Michael Scheibe conducting; American Voices
July 18, 2012; St. Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, Australia

IV. The Snow I Hated
USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Jo-Michael Scheibe conducting; American Voices
July 12, 2012; NZCF Association of Choral Directors' Inaugural Conference, Brierly
Theatre at Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand

premiere:
IV. The Snow I Hated
USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Jo-Michael Scheibe conducting; American Voices
April 26, 2012; Newman Recital Hall, USC Thornton School of Music, Los Angeles, CA