blue cathedral - jennifer higdon [1/2]

Program notes: blue cathedral

Blue...like the sky. Where all possibilities soar. Cathedrals...a place of thought, growth, spiritual expression...serving as a symbolic doorway in to and out of this world. Blue represents all potential and the progression of journeys. Cathedrals represent a place of beginnings, endings, solitude, fellowship, contemplation, knowledge and growth. As I was writing this piece, I found myself imagining a journey through a glass cathedral in the sky. Because the walls would be transparent, I saw the image of clouds and blueness permeating from the outside of this church. In my mind's eye the listener would enter from the back of the sanctuary, floating along the corridor amongst giant crystal pillars, moving in a contemplative stance. The stained glass windows' figures would start moving with song, singing a heavenly music. The listener would float down the aisle, slowly moving upward at first and then progressing at a quicker pace, rising towards an immense ceiling which would open to the sky...as this journey progressed, the speed of the traveler would increase, rushing forward and upward. I wanted to create the sensation of contemplation and quiet peace at the beginning, moving towards the feeling of celebration and ecstatic expansion of the soul, all the while singing along with that heavenly music...

This is a story that commemorates living and passing through places of knowledge and of sharing and of that song called life.

http://www.jenniferhigdon.com/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Higdon

Category:

Music

Tags:

• blue
• cathedral
• jennifer
• higdon
• orchestra
• orchestral
• part
• impressionism
• impressionistic
• flute
• clarinet
• bells
• kindofdoon

[sprodje]

Pretty much the best symphonic piece ever.

Played it in the California All- State :D

Rhythm is super difficult on bass T.T

[kindofdoon]

@sprodje Oh yes, I can remember our basses having quite a bit of fun with the rhythms starting at 7:25 as well.

[greendiva31]

what orchestra is this?

[kindofdoon]

@greendiva31 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano.

[BlueViolist]

I performed this while at Interlochen last summer. When we started to rehearse the piece at the beginning of the week I was indifferent to it. By the end of the week when we performed it, this piece was one of my favorite that I did at Interlochen. I felt like this has been one of the most expressive pieces I've ever performed with an orchestra.

[Kismeki7]

@BlueViolist

Octavio!

[ZSk8er12321]

reminds me of close encounters of the third kind

[JezzieLS]

This song has a great motivation behind it as well, 'blue' is the middle name of her brother who died of skin cancer, it id a journey of life and death.

[theonlyred4]

am I really supposed to wait 9 minutes and 32 seconds to favorite this!?

[sierragragg]

TEARJERKING BEAUTIFUL!

[animelvr510]

I am playing this in a youth orchestra that i'm a part of. im on piccolo :) so excited!

[ly776]

This is a a truly beautiful piece of music. Having echoes of another composer like Copeland or Ives, this is such a bad thing? Beethoven wrote some music that sounded Haydn-esque. I enjoy hearing new music that is approachable, harmonic, and that's not afraid to be emotive.

[scmager]

This piece is very well scored, which I find very attractive and commendable. MuseDuCafe is right, though, that it does have the ambiance of film music, and it is clearly beholden to Aaron Copland (himself a successful film composer, e.g. The Red Pony and Our Town). I do wonder why composers today write tonal, linear music but go to great lengths to avoid any memorable features, such as a theme or harmonic progression with real profile. Isn't it the memory, not merely the effect, that lingers?