Be Grateful, My Soul

In 1941 Norbert Capek, minister of the Unitarian Church in Prague, was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo, accused of listening to foreign broadcasts and BBC transmissions. In addition, he was accused of "high treason," with several of his sermons cited as evidence. At his trial he was found innocent of the treason charge, but the Gestapo ignored the court's recommendation, sending him first to Dachau and later to Hartheim Castle, where he was executed in a gas chamber.

"Be Grateful, My Soul" is a canonic setting of a poem Capek wrote in his final letter to his daughter, a passionate testament to life's worth and beauty, even when shrouded in darkness. The arching, layered melody suggests breath itself, and a joy of spirit which transcends all time and circumstance.