Das Stunden-Buch
soprano, clarinet in B-flat, piano | 12’
Rainer Maria Rilke’s Das Stunden-Buch (The Book of Hours), published in 1905, is a series of poetic meditations on man’s relationship with God. The namesake for the collection, the Christian “Book of Hours”, was an illuminated manual for Christian worship used during the Middle Ages, designed to structure the day through regular devotion to God. Influenced by the philosophy of Nietzsche, Rilke’s Book depicts a man in search of a meaningful existence in the presence of God, which unfolds as a dialogue between the self and the divine being. This cycle includes settings of four poems from the collection, which together reflect the overall dramatic narrative of Rilke’s work.
Text
four poems from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Das Stunden-Buch (Book of Hours)
Language
German
Commission
sTem
Performances
Noor Sandhu, soprano; Eric Umble, clarinet; Sophia Vastek, piano
Recording
Lieder/Canciones - sTem (Meagan Brus, soprano; Eric Umble, clarinet; Sophia Vastek, piano)
