Oxford University Press

Composer: Gabriel Jackson (b. 1962)
Format: Vocal Score
Voicing: T. solo, SATB (with divisions) and piano reduction
Level: Moderately Difficult

• Five-movement work for SATB chorus, tenor soloist, and orchestra
• Spiritual, rather than sacred
• Texts in English and Latin
• Diverse range of poems from an early Latin hymn by St Ambrose to contemporary writers Doris Kareva and Kenneth White
• Piano reduction included in the vocal score for rehearsal purposes
• Full scores, vocal scores, and instrumental parts available on hire/rental (Orchestration - picc. 2fl, 2ob, c.a., 2cl, bass cl, 2bsn, contrabsn, 4hn, 3tpt, 2tbn, bass tbn, tba, perc (3 players), hp, str)

The World Imagined explores themes around the smallness of man, the apprehension of the divine in everything around us, and our ecstatic communion within that vastness. The powerfully evocative texts invite deep spiritual contemplation, and are drawn from diverse sources ranging from an early Latin hymn by St Ambrose to contemporary poems by Doris Kareva and Kenneth White. The work is structured in five continuous movements, with a tenor soloist joining the choir in the second, fourth (where they have a melismatic extended solo passage), and fifth. Profound words by Wallace Stevens--'How high that highest candle lights the dark. Out of this same light, out of the central mind, We make a dwelling in the evening air, In which being there together is enough.'--draw this monumental work to a close, with wind and strings leading us to a final chord that resounds with quiet, hopeful optimism at the end of this transformative musical experience.
Duration: 43:00