Murphy’s wide-ranging catalogue includes concerted works for harp and orchestra (And Then at Night I Paint the Stars, 2002) and for cello and orchestra (This the Color of My Dreams, 1997). Now she combines these two solo instruments in a single composition, her double concerto for harp and cello entitled En el escuro es todo uno (In the Darkness All Is One).

The title comes from a Sephardic proverb that, in Murphy’s words, “encourages us to understand that we are all equal; once you remove the trappings of society and economy, we are more similar than we are different. Each of the four movements uses music from the Sephardic tradition as its source; specifically, Ladino [the language of Spanish and Portuguese Jews] folk songs. I chose songs that were somehow related to women’s lives and the importance of ‘mother.’ The concept can be as literal as mother to children, or as broad as Israel as the mother of the faith.”

The first movement uses a Lamenta from Bulgaria. It is “for the most part slow and lyrical,” says the composer. “The lyricism is often interrupted by a loud, rhythmic, jagged line. We register these interruptions but carry on with the progression of events. This illustrates how we are able to acknowledge and turn away from brutality and sadness in our own lives and history.” The opening words are “Mother, mother, rain falls from the heavens. Tears fall from my eyes.”

“Si veriash a la rana is a Ladino children’s song found in Turkey and the Balkans,” continues Murphy. “It is a fast, rhythmic and humorous teaching song that instructs girls how to enjoy the chores of the kitchen, reminding them that they share those chores with their sisters. Following a soloistic opening based on prayer modes, the music launches into a dance-like section that presents the folk song.”

The third movement (Yigdal) is a cadenza for the two solo instruments plus vibraphone. It is modal, but incorporates threads of the Yigdal (a liturgical prayer or hymn expressing the faith of Israel in God) as it is sung in Constantinople.

The final movement is based on two songs: Noches, noches, buenos noches a romance most likely from Sarajevo and Ven Chicka Nazlia ("Come little tease,") a fun, flirtatious song most likely from Turkey. The movement arrives without pause, immediately following the cadenza. The first part, slow and atmospheric, consists of a canonic presentation of the theme from Noches, noches. The remainder of the movement is built on the fast and uplifting melody from Ven Chicka Nazlia.