The Discovery of Heaven

Julian Anderson (Composer)

Research output: Non-textual formComposition

Abstract

The Discovery of Heaven is a three movement work inspired by the novel of the same name by the Dutch writer Harry Mulisch. Other influences on the piece include the music of Japanese Gagaku (or Court Music) which dates from 9th century AD, and the music of Janacek. The first movement, ‘An Echo from Heaven’, is extremely slow, almost motionless. Its textures were partly prompted by the acoustic analysis of Gagaku, especially the Japanese mouth organ called ‘sho’. The second movement, called ‘In the Street’, is an increasingly rowdy set of street parades, demonstrations and dances which, just as it threatens to get totally out of hand, topples over into the third movement, ‘Hymns.’ This pits two types of music against each other: very long and lyrical melodic lines, mainly on brass; and increasingly strident and disruptively raucous noises – debris from the ‘street music’ in the second movement – which attempt to stop the progress of the lyrical melodies. The more the melodies are attacked, the stronger and faster they get.

The Discovery of Heaven is dedicated to Jonathan Harvey.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherFaber Music
Publication statusPublished - 2011

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