ABOUT:

In his book THREE OZARK STREAMS, writer Ward Allison Dorrance described his time in the Ozarks this way, "The soaring rock, hemming the stream so closely, makes a sound-board. Voices, or paddles striking the timber of the boat, resound as in a cistern mouth. A whisper carries, crisp, intact. As if by solemn agreement we speak only when we must." This borderline sacred view of the Ozarks was the inspiration behind "...flow streams of stained glass".

 

The eight-minute meditation is initiated by the piano (turned into a pseudo-dulcimer by means of mallets on the strings). Inspired by the shape-note singing traditions of the religious folk in this region, the hymn "What Wondrous Love is This?" is then dissected at one point or another by every instrument of the ensemble. Throughout the work the hymn appears in various guises, sometimes obvious, sometimes obscured. The entire ensemble acts as a soundboard for this ancient tune and as if by solemn agreement, the hymn only speaks when it must.