Passage Into Spirit
RBM-120
Baritone Soloist and SATB chorus with Large Orchestra

This large work was commissioned by the Buffalo Symphony Chorus, in celebration of their 70th year of making music with the Buffalo Philharmonic. This composition is, to date, the most extensive choral orchestral piece yet written by the composer.

The piece is cast in 5 movements:

• Prologue    “Come, said the muse…”
• I.    “O, take my hand, Walt Whitman…”
• II.    “Hark, some wild trumpeter…”
• III.    “Strains musical, flowing through the ages…”
• Epilogue    “Is it a dream…?”

The text was selected by the composer from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

The composition is romantically conceived and tonal, in keeping with the emotional / pictorial style of Whitman’s poetry. The music is crafted to give the audience a spiritual experience, through music and poetic imagery, without the imposition of any particular sectarian faith or dogma. Walt Whitman is symbolically represented by the soloist, and the choral forces embody the voice of Spirit.