Darkness to Light Concert
This was a very interesting concert. The main work, Howard Goodall’s Requiem “Eternal Light”, which formed the second part of the evening, is itself a complex piece which juxtaposes Latin liturgy with English poetry, and the whole work has something of a patchwork quality, with choruses, songs and a hymn, in a whole range of styles both modern and traditional, with tinges of jazz, minimalism, modern popular music and (almost) TV themes, all within only 40 minutes.
The first part of the concert reflected this patchwork idea, with short mostly unaccompanied choral works interspersed with readings, all related to the theme “Darkness to Light” (From the works we heard, I wondered whether this could mean November through Advent to Christmas, or death followed by the resurrection of souls).