Appearances can be deceiving. Building a libretto from texts ranging from Adrienne Rich and Richard Feynman to the Magnificat, Lewis Spratlan offers a re-examination of our settled views and the discovery entailed in rethinking them from a wider perspective in Vespers Cantata: Hesperus Is Phosphorus, an hour-long, nine-movement work for mixed chorus and chamber ensemble performed here by Philadelphia's The Crossing (conducted by Donald Nally) and Network for New Music. "... a compositional tour de force, absorbing... great craftsmanship... creative fearlessness." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)