Absalom

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"When David heard that Absalom was slain he went up to his chamber over the gate, and wept, my son, my son, O Absalom my son, would God I had died for thee!" Absalom's tragic story has often been encapsulated by this devastating, vivid line from Samuel II 18:33——a heartbreaking culmination of all of King David's errors in dealing with Amnon's horrific, incestual rape of Tamar, Absalom's sister. I wanted to trace that trajectory, trace their entire story, and see how years of mistakes and interactions between David and Absalom led to this tragic moment. A timeless trio repeats Absalom's name over and over, while the rest of the text takes from moments when King David either orders a decree that affects Absalom or directly addresses Absalom, contextualizing and recontextualizing each utterance of his name. Absalom (2022) was commissioned by and dedicated with great admiration to NOĒMA and its founder and Artistic Director Sanders Lau for their inaugural concert. Show more