David Mason’s beautiful verse adaptation of Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, astutely portrays its characters amid the Puritan society of 17th-century New England. My music—lyrically expressive and intricately orchestrated—dramatizes the psychological underpinnings of this story. Though Hester is shamed for adultery, her steadfast strength of character reveals a true moral sense, while the weaknesses of both her lover and estranged husband ultimately yield their self-destruction. – Lori Laitman