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Messiaen's 'La Nativité du Seigneur' 2007 was dominated by a major commission for Winchester Cathedral. This was a collaboration with Sarah Baldock, organist at the Cathedral and was premiered on the Feast of the Epiphany 2008, alongside a specially-commissioned film by KMB Productions showing the development of the work. The organ music was performed by Andrew Lumsden and Sarah Baldock. Meditations were composed and read by Canon Roland Riem. "Messiaen
and Art at Epiphany in Winchester Cathedral was a truly wonderful
experience, moving and uplifting. The artworks are rich and
expressive, and the film, dwelling lovingly on their details,
illuminated the music with great effect - the predominance of slow
melody in La Nativité can make it a hard listen all in one go, and the
additional focus of the film aided concentration. The
performances, of course, were exemplary. The music filled the
great darkened space with colour and shape and rhythm. The
meditations from the pulpit were an inspired addition: to the point,
brief, yet deep, and almost poetry in the beauty of their prose.
An Epiphany indeed."
David Owen Norris, MA (Oxon) FRAM FRCO Professor of Musical Performance, University of Southampton Visiting Professor, Royal College of Music Honorary Fellow, Keble College, Oxford Educational Fellow, Worshipful Company of Musicians Sophie Hacker (right) discusses the score with Sarah Baldock Photo by: Abha Thakor, Diocese of Winchester The nine ‘musical meditations’ of this organ suite explore the underlying themes of the birth of Christ. Just as the music provides a great range of textures, rhythms and colours, so the artwork uses a broad palette of materials and forms. This includes pigment, precious metals, fabric, leather and oak. In each piece, the artist’s aim has been to choose strong shapes and appropriate surface textures to explore the imagery in the music. |
