Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

Key influences/context: Key influences on Anne Boyd's music include, Gagaku, the traditional court music of Japan, and ideas and writings from Buddhism and Christian mysticism. First broadcast on ABC Classic FM's Australian Concert program. This recording: The Song Company, Roland Peelman (conductor), Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo, Sydney. Instrumentation: Six solo voices (2 sopranos, alto, tenor, 2 basses)įirst performance: The Song Company, Roland Peelman (conductor). The men's voices variously represent Christ (the bass baritone), the devil (the tenor), and the words of John the Baptist (all three men). When acting separately, the women sing the words of Julian of Norwich, either singly or together, as well as the gospel narrator voice.This ensemble refrain also comes back throughout the work, drawing the six voices together in rest and harmony after more complex textures and dramatic moments. The choral harmonies of the rest of the opening repeat the words 'Benedicite Domine' (Bless Ye O Lord).This meditative gesture appears again later in the work, both to introduce moments of calm reflection, and transformed as an accompaniment to more intense feelings. The two-minute introduction begins with a 'Ma' chord echoing the Buddhist mysticism of her earlier choral work As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams.The three panels are separated and contrasted by the two recurring gestures or refrains. They sing different texts and different kinds of music at the same time, to represent different texts, different actors in the drama, or different ideas winding around each other.

Inside each of these sections the six voices often have a complicated relationship. Revelations of Divine Love is divided into three sections or 'panels': the vision of Christ's blood (sacrifice), the encounter with the devil (temptation), and the revelation of Christ inside (redemption).

Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich