The Music of Lori Laitman, now available as PDFs
Standing at the Edge — for SATB chorus and piano (priced for 20 copies)
SM-000613643
- Composer
- Lori Laitman
-
Lyricist
-
Mary Oliver
- Publisher
- Enchanted Knickers Music
- Genre
-
Classical / Choral music
- Instrumentation
- Piano, Mixed choir
- Scored for
- Accompanying piano, Choir
- Type of score
- Piano-vocal score
- Duration
- 6'0"
- Language
- English
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Year of composition
- 2025
Description
Standing at the Edge, for SATB and piano, was commissioned by Dorothy M. Woodcock for The Washington National Opera Chorus under Steven Gathman, Chorus Master. The work premiered at a Benefit Concert for AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) on March 2, 2025 at The Church of St. Ann in Washington, DC.
I am one of the few composers to whom Mary Oliver granted permission to set her poetry to music. You Are Standing at the Edge of the Woods appealed to me not only because of Mary’s beautifully detailed description of a singular event at twilight — but because of her understanding of how powerful music could be in helping to live one’s life.
Word painting is used throughout to set the appropriate moods that best reflected the unfolding drama. For example, the downward piano figuration accompanying “like a waterfall” suggests the downward motion of water. The twirling melodic lines that accompany “twirl” also paint an aural picture. The textures used also add to the emotional intensity. The song closes with a restatement of the opening lines, although now the words are divided up among the different voice types, bringing the song to a quiet close.