A Silence Haunts Me Runestad (Jake Runestad 2019)

Описание: Composed by ‪@JakeRunestad‬ (ACDA 2019 Raymond C. Brock Commission) for SATB Choir & Piano. Libretto by Todd Boss.

Inspired by the composer's encounter with a facsimile of the Heiligenstadt Testament - a letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers, though never sent. The letter is almost equal parts medical history (including Beethoven's first admission to his brothers that he was going deaf), last will and testament, suicide note, letter of forgiveness, and prayer of hope.

Boss's poem, entitled A Silence Haunts Me - After Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament creates a scena - a monologue in Beethoven's voice for choir.
Runestad sets the poetry with an intense, emotional directness and uses some of Beethoven's own musical ideas to provide context. The pianist is the symbolic embodiment of Beethoven. Stitched into the work are hints at familiar themes from the Moonlight Sonata, the 3rd, 6th, and 9th Symphonies, and Beethoven's ballet Creatures of Prometheus, but they are, in Runestad's words, "filtered through a hazy, frustrated, and defeated state of being."

An original, engaging, thoughtful, and passionate work of choral art that portrays Beethoven's extraordinary legacy and his struggle with loss.
[Caption excerpted from program notes by Dr. Jonathan Talberg].

Performers:
‪@montclair_CALI‬ Chorale (140-voice symphonic choir)
Joey Staltari, audience introduction
Steven W. Ryan, piano
Dr. Heather J. Buchanan, conductor

Saturday, April 26, 2025 - Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State University, NJ, USA.
Archival video-audio recording by Rod Davidson Photography