In A Dream Within a Dream Edgar Allan Poe writes of a traumatic grief that shakes him to the core, affecting his perception of reality itself. Through this setting, his exploration continues into the musical realm. The piano textures here represent something that is not quite real, and fading mercilessly in and out between whimsical fantasy and crushing reality. This aids the tone of Poe’s words and provides a backdrop for the voices to speak his emotions in a more solid context, albeit not always quite rationally. There is such a two-sided nature to the emotions at play that it is almost laughable to compare them musically, except when placing oneself into the mindset of a desperate mind. Poe needs no help in expressing his feelings – the power of his words carries an inherent statement without calling for musical aid. However, in Dreamscape we will attempt to explore them in the context of the modern psyche and hopefully one may see Poe’s struggle arise within oneself in sensory ways not often accessible through poetry alone. (Daniel Elder)