“Nurse’s Song” was composed in 2017, 260 after William Blake’s birth and 190 years after his death. This piece and “Carmen Seculare”, a setting of a poem by the Greek national poet Dionissios Solomos, form my work entitled Diptychon.
A year later I decided to arrange the piece differently, maintaining the basic form of the song, but giving more space to three words which form a kind of jeu de mots: “whisperings”, “wasted”, “winter”.
I had just completed the final arrangement, when one of my dearest friends, the excellent actress and playwright Chryssa Spilioti, fell victim to the deadly wildfire in Mati, east of Athens.
To her I dedicate my “Song”, not just because we were close friends for almost 30 years, but mostly because throughout her work, there is constant reference to childhood memories - the ones that so often unconsciously take control over our adult lives.
Nurse’s Song by William Blake
When the voices of children are heard on the green,
And whisperings are in the dale,
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale.
Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and night in disguise.
International Society for Contemporary Music
