Tom Bullard, Nonsuch Singers - Gabriel Jackson: To the Field of Stars (2016) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. O quam gloriosum est regnum
02. To the Field of Stars: I. Intrada
03. To the Field of Stars: II. Prayer for Travelling
04. To the Field of Stars: III. Pilgrims' Song with History Lesson
05. To the Field of Stars: IV. Walking with God
06. To the Field of Stars: V. Miracles
07. To the Field of Stars: VI. Our Journey Had Advanced
08. To the Field of Stars: VII. Campus stellae
09. To the Field of Stars: VIII. Compostela (O quam gloriosum)
10. 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 5, O Morgenstern
11. Vidi speciosam
12. Creator of the Stars of Night
13. Laudibus in sanctis
14. Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars



In October 2013, Nonsuch Singers gave the UK premiere of Gabriel Jackson’s To the field of stars, and it seemed the ideal piece for the choir’s debut recording. The companion pieces have their thematic origins in the stars and the heavens—Arvo Pärt’s invocation to the Morning Star, taken from his Seven Magnificat Antiphons, Jonathan Dove’s exultant Seek Him that maketh the seven stars, and another gem by Gabriel Jackson, Creator of the stars of night. Broadening the celestial theme allows for the inclusion of the Assumption of the Virgin in Victoria’s sublime Vidi speciosam, and the sheer joy of Byrd’s dance-like Laudibus in sanctis.

Since the very first journeys to Santiago de Compostela began over 1,000 years ago, the Way of St James has been articulated and celebrated in music. The vast Codex Calixtinus, dating from the 12th century, is a compendium of advice and instructions for pilgrims, sermons, reports of miracles, prayers and polyphonic motets. Over the years many concert programmes have been devised to relive the mediæval pilgrims’ journey in song, drawn from the codex and other sources, and new pieces have been composed which also reimagine the experience of travelling the Way of St James.

So the challenge with this piece was to try to say something new and worthwhile about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela that hadn’t already been said. I didn’t want to write a literal account of the journey, a series of postcards from the pilgrimage route—today we are in Puente la Reina… tomorrow we reach Finisterre—for that has already been done and done very well. So while To the field of stars is about the pilgrimage to Santiago, it is also about journeying in a wider sense—the physical, emotional and psychological struggle to reach a long-sought after and life-changing goal.

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