Francis Pott: At First Light & Word

Featuring

Joseph Spooner
Matthew Berry
Christian Wilson
Commotio
Francis Pott

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Francis Pott, the composer, views the two works on this album, "At First Light" and "Word," as exploratory and transitional, much like T.S. Eliot's 'hints and guesses'.

Composition History

"Word" was commissioned by The Revd Dr Nicholas Fisher as part of the Merton Choirbook project, which collated newly-composed works to mark the 750th anniversary of Merton College, Oxford.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For "Word," Nicholas Fisher, the commissioner, intended to enable contemplation of the Gospel's significance in our postmodern cultural epoch, using 'Word' without its definite article to connote Λο ɣ ος (Logos) as a concept.

Composition History

"At First Light" was commissioned by Eric Bruskin, a resident of Philadelphia, US, in memory of his mother, and includes a solo cello part at his request.

Compositional Technique

In "Word," Francis Pott, the composer, distinguished between the prose of St John's Prologue and the verse of R.S. Thomas by omitting the organ from the Biblical passages.

Performer Biography

Christian Wilson, the organist, was the eighth person in the world to perform Francis Pott's epic organ symphony, "Christus," in 2012.

Compositional Technique

In "At First Light," the lamenting cello provides a wordless commentary on the text, aiming to embrace and sanctify the individual existential journeys of the bereaved.