Details
Written for the St Andrews Madrigal Group, dir. Michael Chamberlain. World premiere in Glasgow Cathedral on 11 April 2025, and also featured on the ensemble's concert tour in June 2025.
This setting of Miserere Mei Deus opens with a meditative exploration of the selisir scale, a pentatonic mode reminiscent of Southeast Asian gamelan traditions. These tones evolve into quartal harmonies and parallel chords, with handheld percussive sounds from rocks and hammers punctuating the work, serving as a visceral metaphor for the physical and spiritual punishment endured by Christ. In the middle section, a soprano solo emerges with the plea, “Libera me de sanguinibus…”, offering a moment of supplication. In the closing moments, the piece references Sing Out in the Springtime, a tune from a Singaporean children’s assembly songbook (Straits Publishers, 1976), bringing a close to the reflection on the themes of penitence, sacrifice, and redemption.
This setting of Miserere Mei Deus opens with a meditative exploration of the selisir scale, a pentatonic mode reminiscent of Southeast Asian gamelan traditions. These tones evolve into quartal harmonies and parallel chords, with handheld percussive sounds from rocks and hammers punctuating the work, serving as a visceral metaphor for the physical and spiritual punishment endured by Christ. In the middle section, a soprano solo emerges with the plea, “Libera me de sanguinibus…”, offering a moment of supplication. In the closing moments, the piece references Sing Out in the Springtime, a tune from a Singaporean children’s assembly songbook (Straits Publishers, 1976), bringing a close to the reflection on the themes of penitence, sacrifice, and redemption.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published or Performed - 11 Apr 2025 |
Research output
- 1 Performance
-
Prelude to Holy Week: Choral and Organ Contemplations
Tay, K. (Composer), Robertson, A. (Composer), Doolittle, E. (Composer), Wilson, T. D. (Composer), Kitchen, A. (Performer), Chamberlain, M. (Performer) & Sagovsky, K. H. (Composer), 11 Apr 2025Research output: Performances, compositions and other non-textual forms › Performance
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