Composed for world-renowned soprano Susan Narucki and twelve instruments, the work’s sung libretto is comprised entirely of utterances that Bielawa overheard over the course of a full year of travel in transient public spaces around the world – Rome, Taipei, Anchorage, Salzburg, Dallas, and beyond.

Topos Nostalgia

They never plant trees on this street, and if they do they’re dead
within a week.
I used to live on this street, but everything is gone.

Do you ever go to your old apartment?
Where are all the things that I remember?
Remember? It was snowing horribly, and she was holding the
dog?
Your old neighborhood, right? You always go back.

I used to live on this street.
We used to have a house there, but my father lost his job.
I never go there now.

There were rowers on the river, and we walked.
What kind of place are you looking for?
Do you have friends here from home?
Remember these? Remember them?

Drama/Self-Pity

No, no, no – you just can’t get there at this time of day.
You’ve missed the last train.
I just can’t wait any longer; I’m starving to death.
It’s not my problem.
How come we’re not moving?
Like I said, I try not to complain.

They used to give you a paper bag with a sandwich and an
apple, and that was the
beginning of the end.
If we were in India right now, we’d be sinking.
Do you solve everything by crying?
That would be worse than you not caring.

Always on the weekends the trains are screwed up.
I’m always on the wrong side.
It’s not my fault.
I missed the announcement.
Oh no!

People don’t know what we went through. People today just
don’t understand.

Nothing

You don’t know me.
I’ve never been here before.
I might be doing scientific things.
I was asleep when we took off.

I won’t be staying long.
I’m about to go back underground.
It doesn’t matter.
I was asleep when we took off.

I have done nothing. Nothing has happened, nothing will happen.
As much as things change, they really don’t.

Are you by yourself?
You’re sitting there looking at people like you cannot understand.
Where you want to get to has to be more desirable than where you are.

What do I keep on saying? What do I keep on saying?
I have done nothing. Nothing has happened, nothing will happen.
You don’t know me.

Aimlessness Song

Where are we? Is this the right way?
Where’s the guy with the directions?

This is East. You want to go West.
Where’s the guy with the directions?
Maybe we should all relocate.

Do you know how many blocks it is from here?
Ten blocks seems like a journey to me now.
You’ve missed the last train.
I think I should take a day off.
I already waited in this line.
I hope they know what they’re doing.

It’s on my desk, waiting to be signed.
Where are we?
Now we’re gonna miss the movie.
Maybe they missed their connection.
So then I was back in line and now I’ve been rerouted.
Do you need an appointment or can you just walk in?

I thought of five hundred ways not to make this trip.
We both headed for the same guy.
He thought we were talking German.
We gotta move around a lot. That’s how it is in the resistance.

We need to know where the party is.

No one had any idea what I was talking about.
I don’t remember where this conversation was going.
I don’t do anything to it – it just comes out like this.

I’m trying to catch my breath.
I hope they know what they’re doing.

I found a place where we can sit together.