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Programme Note

Composer note:
The Book of Hours represents the 24 hour-cycle, beginning with morning or first light. The fact that the 24 hour-cycle is itself a metaphor for the life-cycle has always interested me.

My friend, the late Stephen Albert, once said to me, "Turning 50 reminds one that there are a limited number of hours left in our lives." And so, having reached my half-century milestone in January 2006, I am not only constantly reminded of our mortality, but also of the blessedness of being alive regardless of how good or bad a day we are having. This idea, of course, requires constant reminding; and, The Book of Hours is, for me, one such reminder. It was also written to be a remembrance of one other idea — that all things live and die, and live again.
— Richard Danielpour