Programme Note
Text:Gerard Manley Hopkins
Composer Note:God's Grandeur makes a companion piece to
Pied Beauty, the first Gerard Manley Hopkins poem on ecstatic themes that I’ve set for choir. While
Pied Beauty seemed a quiet hymn to me,
God's Grandeur read like a scene — from awe to despair to an ecstasy of gratitude in one taut sonnet. That's why this piece seemed to need its own substantial, quasi-orchestral piano part, as opposed to unaccompanied motet style of
Pied Beauty; and why
God's Grandeur's vocalism ranges from fiery fanfare to desolate recitative to conclude, at last, in bright chorale.
— Mark Adamo