Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing is a collection of the Canadian poet's previously unpublished works and new poems. The collection was released in 2006 and American minimalist composer Philip Glass created a song cycle based on Cohen's text.
The collection of poems is a pot pourri of Cohen's views on love, desire, death, divinity and politics. Glass's music matches Cohen's sentiment with a wide range of colours from the cabaret style song titled A Sip of Wine to light hearted Mother Mother to the ballad You Came to Me This Morning. The composer also puts some structure to the seemingly random collection by punctuating each section with hauntingly beautiful instrumental solo passages - oboe, violin, cello and double bass.
The Canadians in the audience were familliar with Cohen's wit and certainly showed their appreciation for lines such as:
I enjoyed the laughter old poets
as you welcomed me
but I won't be staying here for long
You won't be either
For all the references to age and death, the poet's love for life and women was evident. Glass's mix of his signature arppegios and lyrical passages fittingly highlights the inevitable cycles in life and the poet's ability to create and appreciate beauty.
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