True Fire is a song cycle for solo baritone and orchestra by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, on a libretto collaged from multiple sources by dramaturg Aleksi Barrière.
The second movement "River" is based on a text by the poet Seamus Heaney adapted from a poem by Marin Sorescu.
Reviewing the world premiere, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The performance was strong.
"[4] Conversely, Donna Perlmutter of LA Observed gave the piece a negative review, remarking, "True Fire [...] was overly long at 30 minutes, considering its unrelieved, dirge-like stretches of doom and gloom.
Singer Gerald Finley has had more grateful opportunities and the merely respectful audience buzzed with conspicuous naysayers afterward in the lobby.