Voices of Light
Encyclopedia
Voices of Light is a 1994 musical composition by Richard Einhorn
. It was inspired by the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc
directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
. Live performances of the composition have accompanied screenings of the film. The libretto is based on excerpts from a variety of ancient writings, most of it from Medieval female mystics.
It is scored for a small orchestra, chorus and soloists.
as the subject. While sifting through the archives of the Museum of Modern Art
, he found a still from the movie The Passion of Joan of Arc. After watching the film, he set to work on the entire piece.
The piece premiered in early 1994 as live accompaniment to the Dreyer film at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts.
and the Netherlands Radio Choir, the former conducted by Steven Mercurio, the vocals of Anonymous 4
, Susan Narucki
, Corrie Pronk, Frank Hameleers and Henk van Heijnsbergen. It totals 14 tracks and contains a 28-page booklet further detailing the background and history of the pieces.
When the Criterion Collection
released the film on DVD
, they included as an audio option a specially edited performance - using the 1995 recording - of the oratorio as a soundtrack
accompanying the film.
Richard Einhorn
Richard Einhorn is a modern classical composer.Graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in New York City in 1975, studied composition and electronic music with Jack Beeson, Vladimir Ussachevsky, and Mario Davidovsky....
. It was inspired by the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti...
directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...
. Live performances of the composition have accompanied screenings of the film. The libretto is based on excerpts from a variety of ancient writings, most of it from Medieval female mystics.
It is scored for a small orchestra, chorus and soloists.
Background
In the 1980s, Richard Einhorn was developing a large piece on a religious subject when a friend suggested Joan of ArcJoan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
as the subject. While sifting through the archives of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, he found a still from the movie The Passion of Joan of Arc. After watching the film, he set to work on the entire piece.
The piece premiered in early 1994 as live accompaniment to the Dreyer film at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Release
An album was released in 1995 which featured the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic OrchestraNetherlands Radio Philharmonic
The Radio Filharmonisch Orkest is a Dutch radio orchestra, based in Hilversum. The RFO performs under the aegis of the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep , an umbrella organization bringing together the music departments of the various broadcasting associations affiliated to Nederlandse Publieke...
and the Netherlands Radio Choir, the former conducted by Steven Mercurio, the vocals of Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4
Anonymous 4 is a female a cappella quartet, based in New York City. Their main performance genre is medieval music, although they have also premiered works by living composers such as John Tavener and Steve Reich...
, Susan Narucki
Susan Narucki
Susan Narucki is an American operatic soprano who specializes in performances of contemporary classical music. She has appeared in the world premieres of several operas at the Netherlands Opera including Louis Andriessen and Peter Greenaway's Writing to Vermeer and Claude Vivier's Reves d'un Marco...
, Corrie Pronk, Frank Hameleers and Henk van Heijnsbergen. It totals 14 tracks and contains a 28-page booklet further detailing the background and history of the pieces.
When the Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
released the film on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, they included as an audio option a specially edited performance - using the 1995 recording - of the oratorio as a soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
accompanying the film.
External links
- Voices of Light section of Richard Einhorn's website.