Paul Mealor (b. 1975) Symphony No. 2 'Sacred Places' (2016) скачать в хорошем качестве

Paul Mealor (b. 1975) Symphony No. 2 'Sacred Places' (2016)

The NEW Sinfonia Conducted by Robert Guy Recorded live at the world premiere, 1st October 2016 at the North Wales International Music Festival, St Asaph Cathedral. Programme Note: For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the ‘sacred’; of that thing which comes from God and is holy, hallowed and blessed. I find the sacred in the great religious buildings of the world; in the quiet, secluded parts of a forest, atop an mountain and in the twilight - that world between worlds; however, it was not until I visited Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies last year with my friends, Russ and Jo Mann, that the truest wonder of the power of the ‘sacred’ fully hit me: I was standing on Mount Edith Cavell observing a distant avalanche and I was, at that exact moment overcome with both emotion and the realisation that God was speaking though the sounds, sights and atmosphere of that very place and time. I was captivated by the whirling sounds of the avalanche, the beauteous light reflecting from the snow, and alongside it, a kind of peace and stillness. It was in that moment that I began to compose this, the latest of my symphonies, No 2, ‘Sacred Places’. The work begins in the singular: a solo violin speaking out into the silence. This then leads to a three-note motif in the high strings and tuned percussion as if ‘answering’ the violin; a motif that is at the heart of the whole symphony. This motif is then developed, extended, analysed and dissected in many different ways throughout the piece eventually leading, at the end of the symphony to a conclusive, meditative ‘chord’ performed by the strings on tuned wine-glasses. This is, in my mind music beyond music; otherworldly, distant, twilight. The symphony is constructed in three sections (slow-fast-slow) that are all connected and performed without a break. The first section, a sustained meditation, leads to a more dramatic and ‘driven’ second section which is, in itself a set of variations based upon transformations and transpositions of the first section’s descending three-note motif. This is music of questioning, seeking, looking. The third and final part of the work returns to the reflective, sustained meditative nature of the opening section; however, it now has more focus and clarity. At the heart of the final part of the symphony is an orchestral ‘chorale’, a recomposing of my choral work, ‘Locus iste’ – ‘this place was made by God. A priceless Sacrament’. The original three note-motif is now revealed as a hymn to God and the ‘sacred’. Symphony No 2 was commissioned by the North Wales International Music Festival and is dedicated to my good friends, Professor John Last CBE and Mrs Sue Last.