Скачать или смотреть "I had no time to hate" (2015) by Daniel Despins: Duet for flute and baritone voice

Premiered at the University of Delaware Composition Recital on April 15, 2015. Recorded by John Palmer. (c) 2015 by Daniel Despins.

Amelia Baronowsky, flute
Thomas Kuchler, baritone

Program notes:
One of Emily Dickinson’s more well-known poems, "I had no time to hate" addresses some of humanity’s greatest fears in two short stanzas: the passage of time, and our own mortality. The nature of time is terrifying – everyone thinks that there is so much time to do everything they want to do, but days and weeks pass in the blink of an eye, and often so do years and decades, and even entire lifetimes. Humans have so little time in this world, and so much power to change it, that we have an obligation to share our love with the people around us, and to leave the world a better place than when we entered it.

While Dickinson’s poetry is often set to light-hearted music, I felt that the nature of this piece required a more serious, drawn out emotional progression. The piece starts out in an unsettled mood and gradually becomes more chaotic, as the singer feels ever-increasing doubt and the paralyzing fear of having done nothing meaningful with his life. The music reaches a climactic point, and then turns to a quieter section full of sorrow and remorse, before finally reaching a peaceful resolution. Throughout the piece, there are constant reminders of the passing of time, such as the ticking of a clock and the tolling of church bells; but the piece ends with the feeling that there is still hope to change one’s life for the better.

Text:
"I had no time to hate, because
the grave would hinder me,
and life was not so ample I
could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since
some industry must be,
the little toil of love, I thought,
was large enough for me."