Eric Whitacre – “When David Heard”

This is a tremendous performance of the saddest, most beautiful song I’ve ever heard, conducted by the composer, Eric Whitacre, and performed an ensemble assembled for the express purpose of singing his songs. It’s a little over 16 minutes long. Please, sit somewhere quiet and listen to the whole thing. It could not be more worth it.

“When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went up into his chamber over the gate and wept, and thus he said: ‘My son, my son, O Absalom my son, would God I had died for thee!'”

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3 Responses to Eric Whitacre – “When David Heard”

  1. jeffk says:

    Man, we must be on a weird choral-music wavelength this week. Yesterday I found, completely at random, a CD of Russian Orthodox choral music, of all things. I put it on as background music to ease some deadline pressure, and I actually had to stop to wipe away a tear – an actual, literal tear! – in the middle of this one:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3iYnHx8P0s

    I’m not what anybody would call devout, but this is just a gorgeous piece of music. (Especially if you ignore the slide-show visuals and everything about the comments section.)

  2. Hob says:

    Thanks. Wow.

    Have you heard Gorecki’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”? (And yes, I’m one of those dilettantes who doesn’t know any of his other music)

    • Right??? I am very literally unable to listen to this song without crying. Tears streaming down my face at my desk as I listened to this before posting. The first time I heard it, I listened in rapt silence, and when it got to the end I just started sobbing and sobbing and sobbing.

      I’ll check out the Gorecki and the Russian Orthodox music, fellas.

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