'Between Sea and Sky'
Three Byzantine Hymns
In November 2017 Cantata Dramatica organised a recording of Solfa Carlile's 'Three Byzantine Hymns' as a learning aid for choirs who are planning performances of the work in 2018.
The recording took place in All Saints' Church, Headington, Oxford in the presence of the composer. The Cantata Dramatica Soloists were directed by James Potter and the Recording Engineers were Peter Champness and Peter Hart.
Greek Orthodox church music was the inspiration for 'Hagia Sophia', with the sustained bass pedal notes and lightly ornamented melodic lines. The theme of light is central to the description of the cathedral in the text, and the ethereal nature of the childrens' choir lends itself well to this.
'Between Sea and Sky' is scored for a tenor soloist, accompanied by a choir which provides an atmospheric background, evoking the beauty and mystery of the island of Skellig Michael. There is also a solo violin, which is folk-like and influenced by the ornamentation in Irish traditional music.
'The Winter Storm' is a musical saga based on the voyage of St Gregory from Alexandria to Athens, where the crew encountered a storm that raged for 20 days. There are three distinct elements in the text which I have interpreted musically.
