CANTUS: this brightening silence by Kathleen Allan

Performance number 17 from our COVID-19 Sessions recorded live at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis on March 17, 19, and 20.
Kathleen Allan’s "this brightening silence" was a piece originally commissioned by Newman Sound Men's Choir in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Newfoundland Sealing Disaster. The text was composed by her husband Benton Roark and she describes the piece as “a poetic depiction of loss and hope."
We prepared this piece as a part of our now canceled spring show “There Lies the Home.” It was a moment to remember lives lost at sea and specifically refugees escaping Islamic State in Syria by boat to the coast of Greece.
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hush now for soon will come our grey angel
on wings of canvas rising from the foam
she’ll draw us up across her bow, hold us fast
and point us home
and in the meanwhile we make our exchanges
breath for spirit, salt for ice, flesh for stone, words yet unbroken
for olden ways of blood memory
as our life’s storm fades
from this brightening silence
now as one
we cradle in the bow, stretching full its worth to strain oblivion
to force a crack that grows
splintering death itself to pieces
while she, with us safely stowed in her berth
lifts her wing o’er the breaking floes
that fall way beneath us
as our light rushes in
and releases
- T. Benton Roark
----
www.kathleenallan.com
/ kathleenallanmusic
/ bentonroark
linktr.ee/cantussings

[@robbabcock_]

What a haunting and beautiful song. Such a poignant mix of sorrow and hope!

[@hitz9656]

This helps me ease down after remembering that Kingsley isn't with us anymore ;(

[@trevorward9909]

the note in the tenor at 1:20 is impeccably placed. What a tender and great recording!

[@Rasmavox]

This is beautiful. Thank you.