On the Transmigration of Souls

John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls was commissioned by the Lincoln Center to honor the victims of 2001, and other than being too sad to listen to, it is an extraordinary piece. The work combines the reading of names of the victims and quotations from family and friends of those who died with a ravishing choral and string composition that sometimes acts as background and sometimes swells over the top of the reading. True to his minimalist upbringing, Adams uses repetitive elements to profound effect. I cannot recommend this piece to LaRayne, who would be undone by it, but for anyone else, it will be a chilling, unforgettable reflection of the sorrows of our times.