Harberg's PRAYER is a rarity in the modern concert repertoire, beautiful romanticism built of a haunting aria for solo viola. Within the reach of younger players, Prayer has been championed by top professionals for its expressive and dramatic power and aura. The acclaim for this work has led to versions for orchestra, for a variety of other solo instruments with piano, and to the slow movement of Harberg's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra.
My music is often an emotional reaction to personal experience. I composed Prayer shortly after finding out that a close family member was seriously ill. The piece is a prayer for hope and healing through the powerful language of music. In this version, Prayer opens with the violist rising gently out of simple piano arpeggios. The melody flows seamlessly from beginning to end, with one long rising and falling line, punctuated periodically by expressive responses in the piano part. The work arcs twice, with imploring gestures in the violas highest registers, and then gradually descends into a place of peace. My thanks go out to Brett Deubner who premiered Prayer in 2011 on the Music and More series in Glen Ridge, NJ. Amanda Harberg.
