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Reena Esmail

Composer

A Winter Breviary

August 12, 2021 by

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  • Program Notes
  • Recording
  • Resources
  • Premiere/Performances
  • Press/Reviews
A Winter Breviary
Young New Yorkers’ Chorus; Alex Canovas, conductor
(click the playlist icon in the upper right corner of the video to see the other movements)

Program Notes

I. We Look for You (Evensong – Raag Hamsadhwani)
II. The Year’s Midnight (Matins – Raag Malkauns)
III. The Unexpected Early Hour (Lauds – Raag Ahir Bhairav)

This set of three carols, on new texts by poet Rebecca Gayle Howell, traces a journey through the solstice, the longest night of the year. The texts follow the canonical hours of Evensong, Matins and Lauds, and the music maps onto Hindustani raags for those same hours (Raag Hamsadhwani (p*/d), Malkauns (p/d) and Ahir Bhairav (p/d) ). This set is a meeting of cultures, and of the many ways we honor the darkness, and celebrate the return of light.

(*please note that the way Hamsadhwani is spelled in Devanagari the Hindi pronunciation link is not correct – but it gives the correct pronunciation.)

Recording

Here is a selection from three recordings of A Winter Breviary available on Spotify:

A selection of recordings of A Winter Breviary

Also check out these beautiful recordings of A Winter Breviary for brass quintet, arranged by Gaudete Brass

A Winter Breviary for Brass Quintet — Gaudete Brass
(click on the icon in the upper right corner to hear the other movements)

Resources

For a deep dive into this work, please read poet Rebecca Gayle Howell’s post on the Oxford University Press Blog.

informational video about A Winter Breviary (including excerpts of the score/recording)

For further deep dives into most of the raags in Reena’s work, a great resource is Joep Bor’s Raga Guide, which gives a concise description/transcription of each raag, and has accompanying audio for each raag.

Premiere/Performances

The Unexpected Early Hour was recorded by the BBC Singers and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on December 24, 2021. The first live performance of The Unexpected Early Hour was by the Los Angeles Master Chorale on December 8, 2021.

Press/Reviews

Availability:

This piece is available from Oxford University Press


Instrumentation: SATB Chorus
Duration: 12
Year: 2021
Movements: 3
Language: English
Commissioned By:

On New Texts By: Rebecca Gayle Howell


 

 

Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2025 Swan Family Artist in Residence, and was Seattle Symphony’s 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence. She also holds awards/fellowships from United States Artists, the S&R Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Kennedy Center.

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Contact Details

Requesting a perusal copy of choral music
Email: manager@reenaesmail.com

Offer volume discounts to wholesalers for print orders
Please inquire at: info@reenaesmail.com

All other inquiries
Please email: manager@reenaesmail.com

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