The Five Poems for Orchestra (1977) is arguably Rausch’s masterpiece. An autumnal work, it is the succinct and powerful culmination of his life’s work. It is remarkable that Rausch, working in isolation from the music world, kept abreast of modern innovation and current standards in notation. The scoring is delicate and precise, belying the composer’s inexperience of working with an orchestra to hone his scoring skills.

The work is in five movements:
I. Kerîllis
II. Kenârda
III. Côrlibeth
IV. Asumî
V. Ktêmono

Rausch was well-read and cosmopolitan but no amount of Internet searching or consultation with linguists has solved the mystery surrounding the movement titles. Some claim that at least a couple of the words are Turkish or Kurdish. We welcome hearing from anyone that an identify the origin and meaning of the words.