2026
Duration: 2′
Program Notes
Pietà (2026) is a short lament for solo flute inspired by and named after Michelangelo’s iconic sculpture depicting The Sixth Sorrow of Mary. In Michelangelo’s sculpture, Mary cradles Jesus after he is lowered from the cross.
I find this sculpture moving because it humanizes Mary’s venerated role and inspires immediate empathy. It is a very specific feeling that “pity” or “compassion” don’t quite capture, as if we’re contextualizing our own sorrow. As a more contemporary example, it reminds me of the photograph of JFK’s son saluting his casket. While we as a nation mourned the loss of a president, this image reminds us that others are mourning a father, husband, or child. We might share in the mourning, but we are experiencing two different hues of that feeling.
This piece places us as an observer once again, this time watching a performance rather than viewing a still image or sculpture. In Pietà, Mary mourns the loss of her son through a series of laments interrupted by fleeting interjection as her own memories of joy attempts to intercede upon the current sorrow, only to be overruled by the gruesome present.