The last time True Concord Voices & Orchestra released a recording of works it commissioned from a major American composer, the Tucson choir earned a Grammy nomination; the composer, the late Stephen Paulus, won a posthumous Grammy.
Even before the release of βA Dream So Bright: Choral Music of Jake Runestadβ on Friday, Aug. 16, the recordingβs centerpiece βEarth Symphonyβ already has earned Runestad a regional Emmy Award.
At this rate, weβre expecting to see βA Dream So Brightβ among the classical music nominees in November.
βA Dream So Bright,β recorded in May 2023 at Camelback Bible Church in Paradise Valley, delivers two powerful messages β the global costs of ignoring climate change and the human cost of war β that the world needs to hear.
It is a lush and gorgeous recording that will give you an emotional gut check.
Thereβs the stark realism of the opening work βDreams of the Fallen,β commissioned by pianist Jeffrey Biegel who is featured on the recording, that takes you to the frontlines of war and into the psyche of a soldier fighting their own war-addled demons for a sense of normalcy. And though seen through the lens of an American veteran β the texts are from soldier-turned-poet Brian Turner β itβs easy to imagine the words resonating with those fighting in the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russiaβs unprovoked war with Ukraine.
War under any flag, this piece tells us, is heart-wrenching and soul-crushing.
Runestadβs music goes from lush and soaring to dissonant and frenetic, taking you into the psyche of a soldier who keeps βtelling myself that if I walk far enough or long enough someday Iβll come out the other sideβ only to find themselves trying to escape βthis ringing hum, this bullet-borne languageβ of βchildren their gravestones, their limbs gone missing.β
The choir, under the baton of True Concord Music Director Eric Holtan, balanced Runestadβs emotional rollercoaster, from horrific dread to reluctant relief.
Then thereβs βEarth Symphony,β where the tone is less brutal but no less urgent. The five-movement symphonic monologue opens with shuddering brass and percussion as Mother Nature, the narrator, recounts β4 billion years of empty space and dormant stoneβ thatβs interrupted with the birth of humankind:
βYou scorned the odds to be reborn as gods of reason, authors of wonder, inventors of alchemy, chemistry, astronomy,β the choir sings in a soulful tone. βYou alone unwound the helix of my chi. You mirrored me to me.β
Mother Nature puts a mirror to our climate transgressions, from damming her waters to feeling like we had free reign to fly too near the sun with our wax wings.
One of the workβs most dramatic scenes unfolds in the fourth movement βDestruction,β with deep brass angrily cursing humankind making a mockery of nature before softer tones and voices return for the Lament, when Mother Nature seems to be throwing in the towel.
The message Runestad likely hopes resonates most deeply is βRecovery,β the solemn promise that itβs not too late to fix the mess. βThere shall come a day like the first day, so heavenly, so clear,β the choir sings against a gorgeously cinematic soundscape that included a sweet high pitch created by musicians rubbing the rims of wine glasses, a dominant flute and soaring strings.
βA Dream So Brightβ on Reference Recordings is True Concordβs third release, following 2019βs βChristmas With True Concord: Carols in the American Voiceβ and its Grammy-nominated 2015 debut on Reference βFar In the Heavens: Choral Music of Stephen Paulus.β The recordings were part of True Concordβs Dorothy Dyer Vanek Fund For Excellence, a $500,000 gift established by the late arts patron to commission and record new choral works.