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The Beginning of Sorrows (2005) |
For soprano solo, off-stage quartet and SATB chorus – 10’
Commissioned by Elizabeth Bates. First performance: 26 October 2005, Bath Abbey, The Chantry Singers of Bath, Elizabeth Bates, conductor. The slaughter of the innocents by Herod and Rachel’s lamenting is a symbol of horror that is reflected in today’s world on a greater scale than at any time in history. There is the added obscenity that today’s killers do not confront their victims. Cluster bombs are released at 15,000 feet, the remaining debris killing hundreds of children. The brute force of the Iraq invasion killed 100,000 civilians – many of them children. All this is euphemistically called ‘collateral damage’. Such a phrase cannot hide the fact that thousands of innocent children have been slaughtered ruthlessly. The world of culture is not able to influence the decisions of politicians but those of us who dissent can at least make a statement for history. In responding to Elizabeth Bates’ invitation to compose a work with J.S. Bach associations, the chorale Es ist genug (‘It is enough’) seemed a good starting point for this work, a statement of sorrow and compassion. The chorale describes the migration of the soul to Heaven. It is sung off-stage as a ghost to the tragic expression of Rachel’s lament, followed by a modern counterpart using the composer’s own words.
Edwin Roxburgh, March 2005.