for soprano, accompanying herself on percussion instruments
(1 suspended cymbal, 2 maracas, 1 bamboo chimes, 1 rain maker, 1 bass drum)
after poems by John Keats
composed in2007
durationapprox. 8 min.
dedicated toCarola Schlüter and Jan Peter Thorbecke
first performanceFebruary 10, 2008, Galerie Klein in Darmstadt, Germany
Carola Schlüter, soprano and percussion
publisherEDITION MEIJERINGprogram notes (german)This work has been written on occasion of the opening of an exhibition with paintings and prints by Jan Peter Thorbecke
1. This Living Hand
This living hand, now warm and capable
Of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold
And in the icy silence of the tomb,
So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights
That thou wouldst wish thine own heart dry of blood
So in my veins red life might stream again,
And thou be conscience-calmed—see here it is—
I hold it towards you.
2. On Death
Can death be sleep, when life is but a dream,
And scenes of bliss pass as a phantom by?
The transient pleasures as a vision seem,
And yet we think the greatest pain's to die.
How strange it is that man on earth should roam,
And lead a life of woe, but not forsake
His rugged path; nor dare he view alone
His future doom which is but to awake.
(John Keats) 
