The Return of Light

by Matthew Whittall

for chamber choir and orchestra

Description

The return of light was commissioned by the Helsinki Chamber Choir for
their 10th anniversary, in partnership with the Tapiola Sinfonietta. I
was wary of providing an oratorio-like piece with the choir in a
soloistic role, seeking rather a soundworld in which the voices and
instruments were equal members of the orchestra. Still wanting to touch
on the idea of celebration, though, I became fascinated by an image of
the first sunrise after the long Arctic winter night, which is indeed a
kind of celebration, albeit of a quieter sort. A web search of the title
phrase led me to the writings of the nineteenth-century explorer Julius
von Payer. His poetic description of the first sight of sunlight after
wintering in the Arctic ocean provided both the inspiration and
narrative arc for the music, which it follows as if in real time: from a
stark landscape of wind and shifting ice to a scant few minutes of
light returning to the world, proceeding like a wordless hymn in slow
motion, and back to starlit darkness, transfigured.

Instrumentation

2222 2200 01 pno, str, chx [2pic]

Category

Vocal and Choral Works, Works for Orchestra or Large Ensemble

Premiere

Helsinki Chamber Choir, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Nils Schweckendiek, cond. October 30, 2015, Espoo, Finland

Commisioned by / dedications

Commissioned by the Helsinki Chamber Choir for their 10th anniversary, in partnership with the Tapiola Sinfonietta.

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