Shir Kinah

Shir Kinah: Elegy for victims of terrorism is an transcription for string orchestra of the second movement of my string quartet. Shir Kinah is Hebrew for ‘Elegy.’

Shir Kinah is a lamentation for terrorism’s destruction. It’s a transcription of the second movement of my string quartet, written in memory of those who died in the World Trade Center disaster. It’s more a personal than a dramatic statement. Since my job frequently took me to Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied a number of floors in One WTC, some of those who perished there were people I knew and worked with. My wife Judith and I had gone through the WTC just two days before the disaster en route to Hoboken, across the Hudson River, and we were in Hoboken the day it happened and saw the fire and ruin. Several of my friends who lived nearby in Battery Park City witnessed people falling from the buildings and saw the buildings themselves fall.

It’s difficult to touch this subject without becoming maudlin. I opted for being simple and direct. The piece is built on two melodic elements, first heard in the opening ‘cello line: one outlining a diminished triad and the other a fluctuating major second. These slowly travel and change character along a path through different expressive settings. The idea is that although they are the same notes they are always saying different things. Ultimately, they are stretched out and gradually find repose.

Reviews The Elegy for Victims of Terrorism, heard on this CD in both its string quartet and string orchestra version, is quite moving and makes the album worthwhile on its own. (Mike D. Brownell, allmusic)