Eric Whitacre - When David Heard l

Part 1 of Eric Whitacre's masterpiece "When David Heard" performed by the epic British vocal ensemble "Polyphony".

It brings tears to my eyes and I imagine everyone else who has ever lost someone close to them.

I have no rights what so ever of this recording. It is purely brought to you because it is performed so beautifully by this choir.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Eric Whitacre
• When David Heard
• Polyphony
• Stephen Layton

[gmastalank]

I guess I'm the only one that prefers the polyphony version, but I mean they truly express the raw emotion of David's loss. BYU is beautiful but it doesn't sound like a man who just found out his son died, too reflective and not, as Beviedev put it, devastated enough. This version has an almost frantic feel at points which I think really reflects the mental processes of such a loss, not to mention the amount of vocal power Polyphony displays despite being a relatively small group.

[enterandeject]

@gmastalank I completely agree with you! Polyphony has a special way of making this piece right.

[eztobeme]

The tenors at 4:49.

[MATTYandMUSIC]

@plagueX999 I completely disagree, I think Eric Whitacre far surpasses Shank. I do like Shank, but Whitacre's When David Heard is the greatest arrangement yet. The dissonance is never ending with him and in every phrase, you completely feel the pain, distress, and agony of David.

[LilDP]

@quintusmagus How can you conduct this or sing this without breaking down right there on the spot. Especially with it being so absurdly personal and meaningful. If it were me in that position I'd lose it within a minute of conducting...

[novoconfuso]

@Sebastien051 Totally!!

[Sebastien051]

Tenor swag.

[apologiate07]

I appreciate the close connection this music has with BYU, and hence the creative privilege they have over it. However, this version resonates far more strongly with me.

[ladiek4life]

@gmastalank I love Polyphony!

[WhiteMousse1980]

I have not lost my son. But I did lose my wife, to infidelity and Hinduism. I had no idea that her mind was being tainted, changed. She left while I was at work, and left a note for me. When I came home and found her gone, I cried the most heart-wrenching, agonizing wail a human could ever emit. I loved her more than anything on this earth, and my loss is as intimate as that of David. David lost Absalom, but he lost him to greed and lust for power long before he died.

[plagueX999]

Eric Whitacre wishes he was Joshua Shank. This is a beautiful arrangement, and I love the use of dynamics and phrasing, but I like the power in "David's Lamentation" even more. The chords are just as thick and full, and the dissonance is always pulling you into the next phrase.

[HardDriveDisk]

@gmastalank While I agree that there is an element of panic which is perceived in the bereft, often when one is bereft, time seems to creep by at a agonizing pace where one's thoughts go in circles. So, while I prefer the BYU arrangement, I concede that this is excellent as well; BYU puts in David's mind, while Polyphony watches his actions.

[LjepaHrvatica]

@eztobeme I read your comment before I listened and as I was listening I was browsing other pages on the internet and not keeping track of the time. When I heard it I thought "Yep. That's definitely what that person must have been referring to." And sure enough when I switched tabs, it was.