Yet the sea is never full, 2010

for choir and saxophone quartet

Instrumentation:	Choir SSATBB, Saxophone quartet
Duration:	20 min
Premiere:	March 11, 2011, Storetveit Church (Bergen) Bergen Cathedral Choir and Raschér Saxophone Quartet
Text:	Ecclesiastes (the Bible)
Score:	Score, vocal score and sax parts from www.mic.no Sample page of score

Commisioned by Bergen Domkantori and the Raschér Saxophone Quartet
with support from Arts Council Norway (Norsk Kulturfond)

What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?

Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

All the rivers flow into the sea
yet the sea is never full.

The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.

Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?

(Chapter 1 v. 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)

_______

And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment - wickedness was there,
in the place of justice - wickedness was there.

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed -
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors -
and they have no comforter.

(Chapter 3 v. 16, chapter 4 v. 1)

_______

The sleep of a working man is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.

(Chapter 5 v. 12, 15, 2, chapter 11 v. 4, chapter 5 v. 2)