toelichting: Eternity in an Hour
can you capture the sound of eternity? ... and if so, what would that sound like? - discover Eric Whitacre's new work with Aurélie Walschaert's programme notes
In a world where the ordinary and the eternal meet, Eric Whitacre’s new work, Eternity in an Hour, unfolds like a gentle whisper.
Inspired by the opening lines of William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence, Whitacre (whose apparently weightless music is often said to stop time) weaves a musical gem of sound and silence. Each note echoes the soul, each pause offers a glimpse into the infinite. The result is a microcosm of timeless beauty, where infinity settles into the heart of the moment.
Expect shimmering beauty and heavenly harmonies as Whitacre himself conducts and plays electronics.
“I have long been transfixed by the opening lines of William Blake’s extraordinary poem ‘Auguries of Innocence’. It seemed to me that Blake had simply and perfectly described presence, that elusive state where past and future cease to exist and all that remains is a profound sense of wonder in even the most ordinary objects.
My hope with “Eternity in an Hour” is that the music will help the listener (and the performers, and candidly, me) experience a little bit of that awe and timelessness.”
— Eric Whitacre
programme
Together with Koor&Stem, we have selected several amateur choirs that will dazzle the audience in the opening programme with a selection of Whitacre's work. For the grand finale, these choirs will unite with us—bringing together around two hundred vocalists—to perform Whitacre’s enchanting Sing Gently.
opening programme
Brussels Chamber Choir, Kamerkoor Koordinaat, Clari Cantores, Framagomi, Viermaliks, Roeselaars Kamerkoor, Ex Cathedra, Arti Vocali
Eric Whitacre
Lux Aurumque
Cloudburst
Sarah Hopkins
Past Life Melodies
Johann Sebastian Bach
Come Sweet Death (arr. London)
programme
Eric Whitacre
Eternity in an hour (Belgian premiere)
Sing Gently
