Lewis Nielson

Soprano, Flute (doubling Alto Flute), Bass Clarinet, Violin, and Percussion

Composer's Note:

The dark sleep the title implies refers to voices coming from underground, buried in an unhappy sleep not of their own choosing. The texts are extracts from just such a voice that tell a story but without clear reference and no connection to present realities, although the urgency of the text setting tells a story in and of itself. The everydayness of the texts make them individually nondescript and even taken together do not seem to go anywhere. The setting is far more fraught, with voices attempting to convey a sorrow and an anger; a desire to communicate how their fate was met and the terrible aftermath that, although not necessarily sensed, was nonetheless realized. They must use these words and this music to reach out from under the soil to warn and to motivate. Although generally very quiet and often completely concealed by the manner of delivery, the urgency must be apparent regardless of whether one word of text is
understandable or not.