
The weight of your absence, for soprano and viola (2019)
Music written by Daniel Despins, text written by Grey Grant.
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Recorded by Abigail Head (soprano) and Jonathan Milord (viola) at the Peabody Institute on March 7-8, 2020.
Mixed and mastered by Alex Pinkus.
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A few months before this piece was conceived, a close friend of mine lost her aunt to cancer. This event, and the emotional aftermath that followed, led me to realize that I never fully processed the grief of losing two of my own grandparents, ten years earlier. This eventually led to an intense self-analysis of how I deal with loss in general.
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In the midst of this emotional turbulence, The weight of your absence came into existence. The text, written by fellow composer, poet, and friend Grey Grant, tells the story of a woman, grieving over the recent loss of her partner, and of all the various emotions that arise through the process of grieving. The loss of a loved one is often something that can take years to heal, but I hope that this woman, and anyone listening who may currently be in mourning, can find some hope and light at the end of this incredibly dark tunnel."
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(October 2019)
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