Thirsty Land
Choral works explore relationship with water
At the beginning of Creation, even before God said “Let there be light,” the book of Genesis describes water on the face of the earth.
That’s how elemental water is to life. And it is an important reason that Waterloo composer Leonard Enns chose water as the subject of his new composition, “This Thirsty Land,” which will be performed Saturday in Waterloo.
The concert, presented by DaCapo Chamber Choir, which Enns directs, also features a guest ensemble, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto.
This 60-voice choir will perform several pieces, all on the theme of water, before joining DaCapo in the performance of “This Thirsty Land.”
Enns’ 25-minute work for choir, oboe and string ensemble received its world première just three weeks ago in Guelph. It was commissioned by Marta McCarthy, director of the choirs for the University of Guelph.
He wrote much of it at an artists’ retreat at Banff Centre for the Arts. “It’s a bit like a retreat into silence” and nature is all around, Enns said.
“You look out the window and there’s a deer walking by ... It’s all trees and mountains.”
Using texts by Aeschylus, St. Francis, T.S. Eliot, and George Whipple, the work celebrates water’s lifegiving abilities, evokes the terror of drought, and offers a sense of wonder of the “small blue lake” at the bottom of a tulip flower.
“I think in some places, the music, I hope, creates a sense of wonder, of awe,” he said.
“But I think there’s also regret at
the conditions we’re leaving the earth in.”
Water is in the news too much these days, either as flooding or as drought. Low-lying coastal areas risk creating forced migration as sea levels rise. Drought in other parts of the world is another consequence of climate change.
So, Enns says, water — whether there is too much of it, or not enough — is part of the refugee crisis we collectively face.
He has dedicated DaCapo to a three-year-long focus on refugees in its programming: displacement, resettlement and renewal.
This concert concludes the DaCapo season and the first year with its theme of refugee displacement.
In addition to Enns’ composition, DaCapo and Orpheus will also perform works by Eric Whitacre, John Rutter, E riks Ešenvalds, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Trond Kverno, Hussein Janmohamed, and Canadian composer Bruce Sled, who creates what Enns calls “sound pictures” evoking shimmering water, ice, and reflections.
On Sunday afternoon, the two choirs will repeat this concert in Toronto, at St. Anne’s Anglican Church.