Matthew Cmiel
Based very directly on a text by Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, each of the movement titles from the composition are taken from a line of poetry from her poem. To explore the text without getting caught up in how to set each word, the composer used music alone, to reflect the ideas and emotions behind each of the lines/ Szymborska packs a world of meaning into each line of poetry; Cmiel explores that world sonically.
The Three Oddest Words
When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.
When I pronounce the word Silence,
I destroy it.
When I pronounce the word Nothing,
I make something no non-being can hold.