Canadian Triptych
for SATB choir a capella
- year of composition
About the work
Who we are and how we see the world is shaped by our living environments. The history of Canadian literature is full of the exploration of urban/rural contrasts, with poets reflecting, yearning, celebrating, remembering or projecting change, and sharing tales of transformation. Often, ‘poetry of place’ is synonymous with ‘poetry of identity’; our visceral and inextricable link to our surroundings has inspired many poets to explore this rich and varied theme.
The three poems chosen for Canadian Triptych feature three significant 20th/21st-century female Canadian poets: Margaret Avison, Lorna Crozier, and Jan Zwicky. Although each poetic voice is unique, each of these three poems touches on aspects of the idea of exploring ourselves and our way of being as it relates to our environments.
As an immigrant to Canada and proud Canadian citizen, Liova is honoured and grateful that Lorna Crozier, Jan Zwicky, and the executors of Margaret Avison’s estate (Elke Inkster and Joan Eichner) have generously granted him permission to set these poems to music.
Audio
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All Fools' Eve
(performed by Vox Humana, 2019)
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Absence
(performed by Vox Humana, 2019)
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Thoreau Said a Walk Changes the Walker
(performed by Vox Humana, 2019)