Threading the Light
Felicity Wilcox (electronics), with various artists
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Threading the Light was composed between 2008 and 2012, as the cornerstone of a PhD in composition. Motivated by its world premiere by The Cooperative in 2022 and having waited 10 years for its release, Felicity Wilcox now presents this very personal, ethereal, strongly symbolic, and emotionally charged work.
Threading the Light refers to the universal phenomenon of ritual, a constant in human culture that is designed to transcend worldly concerns through spirituality.
The titles of its four movements – Light, Water, Blood and Fire – refer to elements commonly associated with ritual practices. There are also Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Vedic source prayers. On a very personal note, the work is dedicated to the composer's brother, the Reverend Dr Gavin Wilcox (1962-2008), whose prayers “Walk in His Ways” and “Breath of Wind” are included in tracks II. Water and IV Fire.
Wilcox created an electronic instrument for Threading the Light sourced from Himalayan singing bowl tones of various pitches, digitised and retuned in Just Intonation, becoming a virtual electronic instrument that weaves throughout the work. Blended seamlessly with the voices of Jenny Duck-Chong, Alison Morgan, and Mark Donnelly, and contrasting with the timbre and tuning of string and percussion ensemble conducted by Sada Muramatsu, and featuring soloists Anna McMichael, Luke Spicer and Anthea Cottee, the result is an ethereal, atmospheric masterpiece.
Track Listing
Threading the Light
- I. Light
- II. Water
- III. Blood
- IV. Fire
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Move Records 1CD
MCD636