Forrest Pierce’s 2012 Prize Commission, Gratitude Sutra, was premiered by Volti as the concluding number of their “War and Peace” concert on March 7-9, 2014 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California. The piece was then premiered by the Latvian Radio Choir on December 25-26, 2014 and was subsequently premiered on February 20, 2015 by the BBC Singers at St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, in London.
In a review of the Volti performance, Maggee VanSpeybroeck praised Pierce’s compositional mastery as “quiet, calm, and well-handled.” She commented about the way he “subtly change[d] the harmonies and underpinning texture of each stanza in the work so as to highlight” different aspects of nature, and dubbed the piece “the highlight of the evening.” (see full review here)
