“A thirst for water” was commissioned by and premiered on May 11, 2024, by the Pasadena Master Chorale, directed by Jeffrey Bernstein. It is dedicated to my mother, who has been my biggest supporter and the endless source of inspiration. She is celebrating her 80th birthday on the day of the premiere of this piece.
The poem is written by young and talented poetess Rachel Kaufman, who I met at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico, where we were both in residence in the summer of 2023. Her imaginative and beautiful poem evokes associations with deeply connected processes in nature, the earth’s fragile ecosystem and the frequent draughts followed by devastating rainstorms in Southern California (and many other parts of the world).
While setting her poem to choir, I took an approach of a meditative yet monumental reflection on the theme. I have been fascinated by the chain-like structure of the poem and have multiplied these intended repetitions of the words even more to create the textures painting nature and its force. In this setting you will also hear Organ. From the very beginning it sets the mood and harmonic background, which shifts are highlighted with changes of registers. Additionally, I brought into the score some percussion instruments, mimicking water, thunder, and wind.

“A thirst for water” was commissioned by and premiered on May 11, 2024, by the Pasadena Master Chorale, directed by Jeffrey Bernstein. It is dedicated to my mother, who has been my biggest supporter