The text of my composition “Inverted Light” is based on the excerpts by Nicola Masciandaro’s poem cycle ”pNEuMenOn“ and Dante Aleghieri’s «Paradiso». Like Masciandaro in his poetry and Dante in the final part of his poetic journey in the otherworld, “Divine Comedy”, I feel here attracted to the concept of “Divine Darkness” by the medieval Christian philosopher, Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, who explains in his work “The Mystical Theology”: “[These] unchangeable mysteries of heavenly Truth lie hidden in the dazzling obscurity of the secret Silence, outshining all brilliance with the intensity of their darkness. For, by the unceasing and absolute renunciation of thyself and all things, thou shalt in pureness cast all things aside, and be released from all, and so shalt be led upwards to the Ray of that divine Darkness which exceedeth all existence”.
In my composition “Inverted Light” I am interpreting a “dream” as a form of mystical contemplation and as metaphor for the renunciation of the “self” with the noumenal (ontic) reality.
I am also very grateful to Nicola Masciandaro for permission to use the parts of his beautiful poem in my music!
Regarding the premiere:
The premiere was planned for May 2020 but was postponed to September 2021 due to corona measures. I took place on September 9 in Montréal as part of the „L’outre-rêve“- project with Sarah Albu (soprano), Myriam Boucher (video) and the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, conducted by Veronique Lacroix.
„L’outre-rêve“ is a very exciting music theatre production and I have really enjoyed working with this fantastic cast, including my composer colleagues Annesley Black, Myriam Bouchard and Symon Henry.
Composition commission funded by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
