Ode to Cecilia
01 February Germany / Stuttgart
Programme
James MacMillan
Cecilia Virgo
Benjamin Britten
Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27
Henry Purcell
Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day Z 328
St. Cecilia, a muse throughout the centuries... What ideas are associated with Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, who was martyred while singing? Through Purcell, Britten and MacMillan, Great Britain looks back on a long tradition of veneration of Saint Cecilia, which conveys different messages. In Britten's recurring verse "Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions / To all musicians, appear and inspire", she appears as a creative muse, while MacMillan presents her with a bitonal double choir as a mediator between worldly sorrow and paradise. Organ-like choral sounds refer to the queen of instruments, Cecilia's holy attribute. In contrast, Purcell's text presents harmony as a universal principle, reflected in a wide variety of constellations. Solos, choirs and concertante instruments create a varied sound experience. Individual instruments are poetically highlighted, causing the mood to shift between splendour and melancholy.
James MacMillan
Cecilia Virgo
Benjamin Britten
Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27
Henry Purcell
Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day Z 328
St. Cecilia, a muse throughout the centuries... What ideas are associated with Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, who was martyred while singing? Through Purcell, Britten and MacMillan, Great Britain looks back on a long tradition of veneration of Saint Cecilia, which conveys different messages. In Britten's recurring verse "Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions / To all musicians, appear and inspire", she appears as a creative muse, while MacMillan presents her with a bitonal double choir as a mediator between worldly sorrow and paradise. Organ-like choral sounds refer to the queen of instruments, Cecilia's holy attribute. In contrast, Purcell's text presents harmony as a universal principle, reflected in a wide variety of constellations. Solos, choirs and concertante instruments create a varied sound experience. Individual instruments are poetically highlighted, causing the mood to shift between splendour and melancholy.
