From early November to early December, City of London Sinfonia are putting on a “trilogy” of concerts exploring “how music and sound can link us to spiritual experiences”, featuring various contemporary classical pieces; many of which are drawn from the fields of Eastern European holy minimalism, or from musical strands involving contemporary takes on spiritual or environmental matters. At least two of the concerts feature added meditational or projected-image aspects; which might sound gimmicky, but it can’t be denied that this particular music lends itself to psychedelic or synaesthesic experiences.
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Modern Mystics: ‘The Fruit of Silence’
Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge, Southwark, London, SE1 9DA, England
Thursday 9th November 2017, 7.30pm – information here and here
In the first concert, the Sinfonia are joined by violinist/evening director Alexandra Wood, conductor Michael Collins and the Epiphoni Consort, promising “music that draws you in with its purity, clarity and tranquillity… the music of Pärt, Vasks and Tabakova evoke the transcendental, with chant-like washes of colour and spellbinding soundscapes.” The concert also features projected visuals by Jack James Projections.
Programme:
Pēteris Vasks – The Fruit Of Silence
Arvo Pärt – Seven Magnificat Antiphons
Arvo Pärt – Summa
Arvo Pärt – Fratres
Arvo Pärt – Magnificat
Dobrinka Tabakova – Organum Light
Arvo Pärt – Tabula Rasa
This concert also features a brief pre-concert “mindful meditation” event in the cathedral’s retrochoir at 7.00pm, guided by CLS violinist and alternative healer Ann Morphee, with a plan to “explore the deeply contemplative second movement of Part’s ‘Tabula Rasa’, and enhance our self-awareness and openness ahead of the performance by employing mindfulness techniques… the art of focusing on the present moment. It is a fundamental strategy for dealing with stress, helping us to relax and be uninfluenced by habitual behaviour that we experience in our day-to-day activities”. No previous experience is required, but there are only fifty places available (for event ticketholders only).
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Modern Mystics: ‘The Book of Hours’
Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3PQ, England
Wednesday 22nd November 2017, 7.30pm – information here, here and here
The second concert, conducted by Jessica Cottis, features “new music which evokes the sounds of ancient worlds… Music is timeless – it links the modern-day to forgotten eras, stretches seconds into minutes and makes hours dissolve in a moment. Combining live orchestra, recordings and lighting, the second concert in City of London Sinfonia’s Modern Mystics Sonic Trilogy conjures up the past through music, light and amplification.” Again, Jack James provides the projections and visuals.
Programme:
Howard Skempton – Only the Sound Remains
Jonathan Harvey – Mythic Figures
Guillaume de Machaut/Richard Causton – Kyrie/Sanctus from ‘Messe de Nostre Dame’
Julian Anderson – Book of Hours
Again, there’s a strongly ecclesiastical aspect to this one, with the Anderson piece being a modern reexamination of ancient Christian monk rituals, the Harvey originating from an IRCAM taped work with Tibetan temple bell, and the Causton being a reworking of part of a de Machuat mass (with its two instrumental groups separated as far from each other as the venue will allow). While not directly religious in its roots, the Skempton is a musical evaluation of cultural and temporal loss centred around the decay and demolition of an old mill, and the gap left by its absence.
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Modern Mystics: ‘The Protecting Veil’
St John’s Smith Square, Smith Square, Westminster, London, SW1P 3HA, England
Saturday 2nd December 2017, 7.30pm – information here, here and here
Alexandra Wood returns as orchestra leader and event director for the third and final concert (which is also part of the Southbank Centre’s ‘Belief and Beyond Belief‘ series). This will be a presentation of John Tavener‘s ‘The Protecting Veil’ with cellist Matthew Barley sharing the load as both featured soloist and presenter. The event’s described as “an ecstatic vision of devotion revealed by cello and orchestra… ‘The Protecting Veil’ is music which blurs the line between humanity and divinity – a glimpse into otherworldliness through the Eastern Orthodox rituals celebrated around Mary, Mother of God. We invite you on a journey to the centre of the music through living programme notes – and get close enough to touch as we transform St John’s Smith Square with intimate seating.”
Programme:
John Tavener/Matthew Barley – Living programme notes on ‘The Protecting Veil’
John Tavener – The Protecting Veil
Misfit City 
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