Program notes from the composer:

Robert Lowell was an American poet of singular achievement, who through interpretations and translations created a broad spectrum of inspired work. Three of his more compelling poems, “The Injured Moon,” “The Voyage,” and “Mediation,” reflect Lowell’s search for his inner self, the need to resolve his chaotic and troubled existence. The mid-century zeitgeist commonly produced poets who used non-English writers as a medium for their own work, e.g. Baudelaire, Pasternak, and Heine. As an interpreter of foreign poets, Lowell put little stress on literal meaning, as it obscured the real “tone” of poetry. These settings are atonal musically, but frequent appoggiaturas suggest the resolution of inner conflict in Lowell’s life.

1. The Injured Moon | Text: Robert Lowell
2. The Voyage | Text: Robert Lowell
3. Meditation | Text: Robert Lowell