Kirsten Ashley Wiest - Soprano
Todd Mollenberg - Piano

WAY OF LIFE is based on the Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa’s “Ame ni mo makezu.” Written in 1933, the poem makes it clear from the beginning that one should live a simple life and serve others. The words seem to go on and on, but with no apparent or profound revelation. The last line of the whole poem reveals itself. All along, Miyazawa was describing the person that he strives to be. These elements are expressed musically in WAY OF LIFE. It starts unsure of itself, free of any key or mode, and ends resolutely with a C major chord.

From Thomas’s Program Note