[2] It was subsequently performed in concert form by the Los Angeles Opera on May 25, 2018, as a part of their Off Grand Series.
Unbeknownst to Whitman, Wormley is in fact a Confederate soldier, and the letter will alert the Confederacy to the hospital's location so that they can destroy it.
A messenger arrives to announce the war's end, and the shell-shocked soldiers react with muted enthusiasm.
[4] Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times called the work "taut" and "inspired", praising the performers, direction and score.
[4] Several critics noted the influence of other composers on the score, including Benjamin Britten, John Adams, Philip Glass and Thomas Adès.