Odi et Amo

I have long been fascinated with setting old Latin texts to music; particularly ones outside of the traditional sacred poetry found in the various requiems that have been composed throughout the centuries. Rather, I was particularly drawn to a poem written by the Roman poet Catullus. Simple in nature, the poem is only 3 phrases yet delivers a strong message of the turmoil found in the human psyche. "Odi et Amo" translates to "I hate and I love". The poem embellishes the poets struggle to balance the extremes of the human emotion and how torturous it can be to navigate 2 of our strongest emotions. The call of the opening "Odi et Amo" is repeated numerous times throughout the piece to drive home the 2 emotions of Hate and Love. The work commands exceptional precision of intonation between the 8 parts. While slow in nature though its tempo, the piece has numerous harmonic classes of 2nds to create not only tension, but a longing passion desperate for resolution.