It is a great pleasure to present, with Thanatopsis, maestro Kissin’s opus 4, an expressive setting of the ground-breaking poem from the quill of William Cullen Bryant. Published in in the form known today in 1821, it is an early example of American romantic poetry of the 19th century. Bryant is today reckoned among the group of “Fireside Poets” or “Schoolroom Poets”, names that allude to the places where their poems were usually recited.

His poems – first and foremost Thanatopsis (“A Conside...