Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- John Luther Adams
Canticles of the Holy Wind (2013)
- Taiga Press (BMI) (World)
- percussion
- four choirs (SATB)
- vocal soloists
- 1 hr 15 min
Programme Note
My life's work began with birds. Almost forty years later, I've returned to bird songs as a source for my music. In the past I've utilized piccolos, percussion and other instruments to evoke the music of birds. Now I find myself translating the songs of birds into music for human voices, singing these strange languages that we do not speak and my never understand.
In 2008 I composed Sky With Four Suns, a short work for the extraordinary Latvian youth choir Kamer. From the moment I heard them sing my music, I began to dream of composing a large-scale choral work for Kamer.
Canticles of the Holy Wind is a concert-length work for four choirs (SATB) and solo voices, with percussion.
The text of the piece consists of vocalise and phonetic transliterations of the voices of the wind and birds.
John Luther Adams
In 2008 I composed Sky With Four Suns, a short work for the extraordinary Latvian youth choir Kamer. From the moment I heard them sing my music, I began to dream of composing a large-scale choral work for Kamer.
Canticles of the Holy Wind is a concert-length work for four choirs (SATB) and solo voices, with percussion.
The text of the piece consists of vocalise and phonetic transliterations of the voices of the wind and birds.
John Luther Adams