Composition date: 2020
Text: the composer
Instrumentation: mezzo-soprano, bass-clarinet (doubling Bb), bassoon, cello
Length: 25 minutes
Piece Description:
The tale of Sinuhe is a story about a civil servant who flees in panic when he hears of the sudden death of the King. Sinuhe fears that the new King will have him killed, so he escapes to another country where he settles. Eventually he thrives, but he as he ages, he feels a deep longing to return. He sees himself as a virtuous man - but also a deserter and and a traitor - and now a foreigner. The new King is gracious and permits Sinuhe to return so that he may be buried in his homeland.
This adaptation is in the form of an address to the King and the royal court. Sinuhe is an old man giving
an account of his life: how a moment of panic led to a life of exile, and how - finally - he found the courage to return.
Part V of SINUHE, performed by Susannah Self