Only a Breath

for baritone voice and orchestra (2013)

Only a Breath is a monologue on the notion of a supernatural realm. The text of the first and last movements are selected stanzas sourced from the Rubáiyát of Persian philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and poet, Omar Khayyam (1048-1131). The central movement is a setting of The Day of Judgment by Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, poet and cleric Jonathan Swift (1667-1745). These authors, separated by geography, time, religion and culture, shed colorful and profound insight on the subject using a diverse collection of imagery and style.

Click this link for complete text and translation

excerpts:

I. The Secret

II. Fate unknown