Tobias Picker, born in New York City in 1954, recently described by BBC Mag… Read Full Bio ↴Tobias Picker, born in New York City in 1954, recently described by BBC Magazine as “displaying a distinctively soulful style that is one of the glories of the current musical scene,” holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and Princeton University where his principal teachers were Charles Wuorinen, Elliott Carter and Milton Babbitt. He began gaining international recognition at 24 when The New Yorker identified him as "a genuine creator with a fertile unforced vein of invention." Among his honors; The Charles Ives Scholarship, a Guggenheim Fellowship two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and the Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Mr. Picker’s works have been performed and/or commissioned by The New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Proms, James Levine, James Conlon, Lorin Maazel, Pinchas Zukerman, Christoph Eschenbach, Peter Serkin, Lynn Harrell, Ursula Oppens, Nathan Gunn, Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Judith Bettina and most recently The Rambert Dance Company which has commissioned a large-scale ballet based on Awakenings by Oliver Sacks. His catalog encompasses every genre including several operas. Emmeline, premiered in 1996 by the Santa Fe Opera garnered world-wide acclaim and was televised by PBS' Great Performances. His operas have been produced by several other companies including The Metropolitan Opera which commissioned and premiered his An American Tragedy two seasons ago. Tobias Picker is Artistic Advisor of NYC’s Dicapo Opera Theatre. (2008)

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01The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra): I. Eó Mugna6:54

02The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra): II. Tortan3:53

03The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra): III. Eó Rossa4:01

04The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra): IV. Craeb Uisnig2:53

05The Five Sacred Trees (Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra): V. Dathi8:01

06Tree Line12:19

07Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain": I. Andante con Moto5:12

08Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain": Ii. Double Fugue (Moderato Maestoso, Allegro Vivo)6:03

09Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain": Andante Espressivo5:27

10Old and Lost Rivers4:17

PT4M17S

Tobias Picker

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Old and Lost Rivers
Tobias Picker Lyrics

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The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

Comments from YouTube:

Moonlit Maple

13y↑6

I heard this on the radio no less than 10 minutes ago and I HAD to find it! It's such a beautiful piece and I'm so glad it's been posted! It really brings a tear to the eye.

G

2y↑2

This brings me back to my time working in classical radio in Houston back in the 90’s. This is such a beautiful piece and Christoph was the conductor at the Houston Symphony at the time. Such wonderful memories.💕

heidiology

10y↑17

Heard this for the first time on my way home from work today...and had to look it up immediately when i got home...breathtaking.

doc henry

9y↑4

heidiology Same here. Just today.

David Beatty

7y↑1

same here. And 'today'. And 'first time.' (had to add this as heidiology is '2 years ago', then 1 year ago, and now, ... now. Word of mouth, I guess?) Nice to find, because our radio station won't always even name a classical piece just played....

Richard Salisbury

Had same experience listening on public radio, c. 1830 2/2/0/20.

DansJets

9y↑10

Simply beautiful. Makes me think of the beautiful earth when flying at flight level 370 over the South Pacific from LAX to SYD, Sydney, in total darkness for 12 hours with the wing flashers all night long, and then to see sunrise 2 and a half hours before wheels down at Sydney. It makes you realize that someone put this beautiful earth together, that there is one, a higher source, a Grand Creator, that has created all things. Thanks for sharing.

prufrock

2y↑2

I first heard this in 1998, driving to Mankato in the nighttime fog, along the River. It is so evocative and perfect. It was on WCAL, which is gone now. So sad because it truly was the best classical station I’d ever experienced anywhere. This piece is like an elegy to them.

cheeseroll222

12y↑6

A beautiful piece. Emotional, yet relaxing.

jenniferinlove

13y↑2

I am so glad that someone finally posted this. It's such a beautiful piece the whole world needs to experience it. This song will be in my heart forever and I hope it touches everyones...

John Glass

6y↑5

Discovered this about a year ago, and just fell in love with it. Mesmerizing, so simple . . .

bambino100011

9y↑5

Beautiful, yet sad. This piece brings me back to my life growing up with both the good times and bad times of life. There is some what of a nostalgic feeling. Almost brings me to tears when I hear this piece. Makes me wonder how Picker came up with it.

Roger Regor

8y↑1

AH, yes, my friend. This would be great for closing music to some mysterious, romantic movie.

bambino100011

6y↑1

Roger Regor this was a piece of music I listened to when a friend passed away when I was in college. It was an unexpected death and I really liked her a lot, I wished I had the courage to ask her out, but just kept it as friends. My heart is sad when I listen to this piece but in a good way to remember.

Bayard August

This piece takes me to a better place...

SeasonalGirl

5y↑3

Heard this on the classical station last week and am SO glad the name was mentioned at the end. What a find! Just beautiful.

TheSkull06

11y↑2

I heard this on Sirius XM the other day and it was one of those special times--those rare euphoric times where you feel a hauntingly hopeful awe that only a piece of music such as this can offer. I don't know what I did to deserve having the luck of listening to that station at that particular time that this particular piece played and having the display to identify the composer, but damned if I'm not grateful.

Shift Happens

5y↑1

TheSkull06 Beautiful. Love your comment

Bizz Gig

2y↑2

I was doing a small woodworking project in my garage at the first house we owned in 1999 when the local NPR Classical music station DJ took a short moment to describe the utter beauty of this short piece and he expounded on the fact that it has stayed strangely but wholly obscure and unknown to the world of classical music since it was first written and performed - and for the life of him he didn't understand why. I literally stopped cold in the first 10 seconds and didn't actually realize that I was "frozen" in place for the entire 6:45 that it played until his voice came back in and shared another fact about the instrument used with the orchestra that makes the haunting sounds that are heard above the violins. I immediately wrote down the name and composer on a scrap envelope on my garage bench and went online that night to order the only known CD recording of the song at that time - which was on a compilation disc of relaxing and peaceful classical music pieces.

22 years later in 2021 when my wife and I finally got around to doing all of the work to complete our Will and HealthCare Directives for the first time I stipulated that this song be played at my funeral. They can do whatever else they want and say whatever else they want, but this song will be played with no other distractions in the middle of the funeral service. I have a deep love for a large volume of music of all kinds, but this is the one that everyone's going to hear when I'm dead.

Vince Jelineo

30w

Stunning in it's quiet way, isn't it?

Benny Benoit

6y↑1

Very peaceful. The story behind the Old and Lost rivers is very interesting too.

Frank Wenzel

13y↑1

I really, really love this piece. I wonder why the discovery channel, national geographic and nature documentary makers haven't taken notice yet.

Bob Funck

11y

I have to admit I was unaware of Tobias Picker's instrumental pieces, only being familiar with a couple of his operas which I love. This is gorgeous and I shall now buy a copy.

Emily Hammond

11y↑2

I have been looking for this piece for years. First heard it live in the 90's, tried in vain to find a recording of it for a few years, then forgot about it until today.

Michael K

11y

I'm so moved by this piece words can't express. Thank you for posting

bluejupiter100

11y

Thank you for this story and for your encouragement of the composer to write this work. I have a family of short quiet works I love: Barber's Adagio can carry me through grief, Part's Cantus takes me into uncanny stillness, & Finzi's Severn Rhapsody steeps me in pastoral silence. But O&LR takes me from a spirit of dejection and bring me into tranquility and hope. I count myself blessed to have heard it on WFMT radio a dozen years ago. I have loved it ever since. Thanks again, my friend. . .

songshepherd

12y

Thank you for posting this wonderful piece!!! I used to own the LP but have since "lost" it when I moved across country. I'd forgotten about the piece until I was traveling in the region that inspired this music. Thank you Tobias Picker, for putting South Texas to music!!!

xoSerenade

13y

i heard this on the radio yesterday, i love it! thanks for posting!!! <3

Jan Brekelmans

JUST SO BEAUTIFUL........NOTHING ELSE TO SAY

Daron Hagen

10y↑5

Exquisite.

Michael Laurence Cooper

Oh wow hi =)

bluejupiter100

11y

@J.HAng This was first performed by the Houston Symphony when the composer was there as "composer in residence". It was one of 21 commissions of orchestral fanfares from many prominent composers (e.g. Harbison, Adams, Carter, Reich) to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Texas' declaration of independence and they were used to open concerts in the 1986 season.

NoMoreVanilla

13y

It's a pity that TxDOT changed the signs and erased the poetic ambiguity. Fortunately, the imagery that they evoked has been captured, transformed and preserved in music.

Kit Newell

8y↑1

Tobias Picker is a Texan. The name of the piece was inspired while he was driving some Texas backroad and crossed a bridge over the "Old and Lost River".

Laura McNeil

He was born in New York, but he was the first composer in residence for the Houston Symphony. this is a beautiful tone poem.

Alphonse Flinkton

That's generally correct; I can be more specific. He would have been long-haul driving to NOLA or Florida or just exploring, traveling east on Interstate 10, arriving at the intersection with Farm to Market road (FM) 565 near such townships as Cove and Old River - Winfree. Until recently, the waterway sign would have read "Old And Lost Rivers", as opposed to the sign on the other shore near Anahuac, which read "Lost and Old Rivers". [The west shore sign today, reading "Old and Lost River" is incorrect, since the marsh joins two waterways, Lost River and Old River, at one point, over which the roadway runs.] Interstate 10 at this point leads from Houston to Beaumont, New Orleans and points east. The mile-wide marsh is scenic and rich in cypress, salt grass and driftwood. On its east edge, a third river, the Trinity, is navigable. That's the point where the large bridge span rises. On the east shore is an observation deck and a small museum, the Chambers County Museum at Wallisville within the Wallisville Heritage Park.

Roger Regor

Thanks for the information, Kit. :)

Roger Regor

Indeed! My heart jumped when I saw this listed on YouTube! I head it for the first time on KSJN when my good friend Art Hoehn played it on his Music Through the Night show. Thought I'd never hear it again. But good old YouTube has it.

reni de sousa

6y↑2

LOVE is the river of Life in the World.

DivoLaurent

10y↑3

"Dearest Mother and Father, I am sending under seal another month's wages..." - Also used this music as Emmeline's aria in his opera "Emmeline".

PalJoey1957

10y↑5

+bluejupiter100 Our taste in music appears substantially the same. I would add my own recommendations for beautiful distillations: Aaron Copeland's "Quiet City," "Letter From Home," "Down A Country Lane," "Simple Gifts" from Appalachian Spring, and "Fanfare For The Common Man;" Vaughan-Williams "The Lark Ascending," "49th Parallel Prelude," and "Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis;" and most of Debussy and Ravel's piano music.

doc henry

9y↑1

PalJoey1957 Excellent recommendations...love them all.

Kenton Clarkson

5y↑1

WGUC, the best classical station in the country, brought me here.

Roger Regor

8y↑2

I love this! I thought I'd never find this music ever, never again. But here it is! Thanks for posting. The graphics match the mood of the music very well.