Stick Time: Powerful Poetry

Of the many demands placed upon those of us in the choral profession is the incredible passion, intensity, and commitment that must be shown to the text in order to sing well. Anything we sing is immediately improved by attention to the poetry, coupled with a sincere attempt to communicate the meaning of those words.

 

Take the poetry of Pablo Neruda:

         When I die I want your hands on my eyes:
         I want the light and the wheat of your beloved hands
         to pass their freshness over me one more time
         to feel the smoothness that changed my destiny.

 

What incredible power and depth of feeling is expressed in those words; how could one not sing them with verve?

 

Here is a performance of Morten Lauridsen’s setting of Neruda’s poem, "Soneto de la Noche" from a recent ACDA divisional conference.  Note how earnestly many of these young singers are striving to communicate the depth of the emotion contained in this powerful text.