A vignette commissioned by St John on Bethnal Green, East London, to accompany <a href="http://www.chrisgollon.com/"target="_blank">Chris Gollons </a>oil painting 'Jesus Dies On The Cross',  in commemoration of Good Friday 2014.

The musical theme of the piece is of Church Bells. 

Church bells were of course unknown in the time of Jesus of Nazareth. 

His martyrdom heralded their adoption, 600 years later, and the growth of his church, the establishment of church bells as to a mainstay of Western culture.

I grew up within earshot of Church Bells, and those lucky enough to do so often associate their peal with 'home'. 

In particular in East London, a Cockney was judged to be someone born within earshot of 'Bow Bells' - the bells of Bow Church.

The broader intimations of homecoming bells, for those of faith, explain the choice of this theme, in relation to the moment of Jesus's death.




Station Twelve - Jesus Dies On The Cross

This is an electronic piece to accompany Station Two of Chris Gollon's 'Stations': 'Jesus Takes Up His Cross'.

Gollons picture looks peopled by the distorted, corrupt figures of Medieval religious painting.  

There's a compulsive fascination in the figure of the fanatically compassionate Christ literally beset by monsters.

This piece is a reworking of an existing track that never really fit anywhere before; it's not easy listening but I hope it narrates the painting well.

I wanted it to bring across a sense of the extreme early Christian values.

It's meant to be the sound of determined martyrdom as Christ sets out to his death - a suicidal purity casting aside the workaday horrors of the ancient Pagan world.

Station Two - Jesus Takes Up His Cross

Via Dolorosa is a 2014 commission for music to accompany Chris Gollon's internationally acclaimed interpretation of the <a href="http://www.chrisgollon.com/collections/stations-of-the-cross/"target="_blank">'Stations of the Cross' </a>theme in religious painting. His fourteen depictions of the Crucifixion have their permanent home at <a hre"http://www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/"target="_blank">St John on Bethnal Green </a>in London. Via Dolorosa will be aired at St Johns on Good Friday 2014, the 18th April.

BOMBEVERYONE ViaDolorosa