EXAUDI

Emma Tring, Cressida Sharp (soprano)
Lucy Goddard (mezzo)
Tom Williams (countertenor)
David de Winter, Stephen Jeffes (tenor)
Michael Hickman (baritone)
Simon Whiteley(bass)

James Weeks (conductor)

World premiere, live performance
Milton Court Concert Hall, London
16 May 2022

At the heart of this piece is a poem, a celebration of being. I composed it in the three languages that have most shaped my experience: English (my mother tongue), German, and French. The piece mirrors the poem’s form: a “Prelude: mirages” then the five sections of “Cicada June”, each followed by one of the single phrases that constitute “Geheimlicht” (an invented word meaning secret light that might more broadly imply something kept in hiding). The languages often interweave, but by the last section, English and German have separated into parallel collections of brief “Incantations”. The text is integral to the music’s sound palette; recurrent rhythmic patterns, pitch repetitions, and generally slow-moving harmony all serve to open space for listening into the variegated timbral world of the words’ phonetic interplay.

Unlike the other pieces I have written over the past several decades, this work had no commission, deadline, or intended recipient; it was just a labor of love. I am therefore all the more deeply grateful to James Weeks and the singers of EXAUDI for bringing it to life.

Josh Levine: Cicada June | Geheimlicht (2016-18)

Since its debut in 2002, EXAUDI has emerged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary music ensembles. Founded by James Weeks (director) and Juliet Fraser (soprano), EXAUDI is based in London and draws its singers from among the UK’s brightest vocal talents. EXAUDI’s special affinity is for the radical edges of contemporary music, at home equally with maximal complexity, microtonality and experimental aesthetics. EXAUDI celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012 with major UK and international tours and new commissions from Matthew Shlomowitz, Joanna Bailie, Bryn Harrison and Aaron Cassidy, amongst others.

EXAUDI gratefully acknowledges support from the PRS for Music Foundation.

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