Catalog – Page 9 – Reena Esmail

Indian A Cappella et al

Inconvenient Wounds

Program Notes Inconvenient Wounds is about finding threads of hope in a world that is slipping away. The beginning imagines the sound of the moment when a tiny crack in a glacier opens, first slowly, then rapidly, as a massive slab of ice as tall as a skyscraper collapses into the sea. And yet, as … Read more

Quarantine Madrigals

Program Notes Every restraint is an opportunity for a composer. During the pandemic, I thought about what it meant for choral singers, who are used to the feeling of singing together, to be isolated. What follows is a set of short, two-minute madrigals (yes, the title is a play on ‘florentine madrigal’) that trace the … Read more

Testament (from Vishwas) – full orchestra version

Program Notes The word vishwas (िवशवास) expresses the concept of fervent belief, or faith, in Hindi. Meera Bai, a celebrated saint-poet from 15th century India, is the quintessential embodiment of vishwas. Though she is forced into a traditional marriage to unite two kingdoms, she believes she is married to the Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity, … Read more

Testament (from Vishwas) – sinfonietta version

interglow

Program Notes Forthcoming Recording (see above) Text movement 1: All alone, together. movement 2:text by Rebecca Gayle Howell Leave your worry Leave your sorrow Enter warm light Glowing child-like Leave the shadow Leave tomorrow You are, we are Breathing, now, our breath Special Performance Requirements This piece is designed for engagement. It requires performers to … Read more

The Voyage (trio version)

Program Notes This work started in its trio, for professional violinist and violist Scott St. John, Sharon Wei, and their daughter Julia, who was 8 years old at the time I wrote this piece, and was just learning to play the violin. I loved working with Julia to create a piece that would showcase and … Read more

Unlikely Stories

Note: This set is designed specifically for young musicians. Program Notes Sometimes inspiration comes from going back to the basics. When I was 24 years old, and already had an undergrad degree from Juilliard in composing, I decided I would learn the violin. I was teaching theory and ear training at Manhattan School of Music … Read more

Charukeshi Bandish

Note: A note to listeners: Charukeshi Bandish is simply me singing the source melody for Black Iris. It isn’t actually a piece I wrote — it is simply a reference track. Charukeshi is a raag in Hindustani music, and the word bandish (p/d) means ‘fixed composition’ upon which an improvisation (and in this case, the … Read more

Sunrise Toccata

Program Notes Sunrise Toccata is the first piece of music I ever wrote, when I was sixteen years old. While the piece is not available for performance or purchase, I do keep this recording on my site, especially for young musicians who want to hear what my work might have sounded like when I was … Read more

When the Violin (unaccompanied violin)

Program Notes (notes for the original work, for choir and obligato violin or cello): As a companion piece to Victoria’s O Vos Omnes, I chose to set a beautiful text by the 14C Persian poet Hafiz. The text of O Vos Omnes is asking, simply, to be seen in a moment of sorrow — to … Read more

She Will Transform You (SATB + flute)

Program Notes She Will Transform You is centered around a beautiful poem of Indian-American author Neelanjana Banerjee. She speaks about the beautiful relationship of an immigrant and her child to their country of origin, and the significant role a child from both cultures has in bridging the divide between them. As a child of immigrants, I have felt both that distance … Read more