On the Transmigration of Souls

I recently finally listened to this work by the Pulitzer prize winnging composer John Adams. It is a very understated work musically, but it can almost bring you to tears. For those who do not know the history of this work, it was written in response to the 9/11 attacks, and the composer uses texts from the victims´ families both as spoken word and for chorus. The emotional power this brings shakes you at a very human level, and the music does its best to augment this atmosphere of anger and mourning.

This is a piece I will only listen to once, but I am glad I did. John Adams should be commended for creating a non-religious expression of the classical Requiem in response to such a tragedy.