TOMB , THE MUSIC FROM THE VOID.

A VISUAL AND SOUND COLLABORATION CELEBRATING THEME AND NARRATIVE IN THE MUSIC OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

A group show exploring for today in image and sound, the power of pattern and narrative discovered in a musical masterpiece, a collaboration also exploring its spiritual source converging in Hope and Redemption.

ORIGINAL PARTICIPANTS,

POLLY ELTES artist and photographer

BARBARA LOFTUS artist and film maker

CHRIS MULLEN archivist

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A recent performance of Bach’s Easter Oratorio by the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment (March 2024) inspired a group of artists to come together in a series of three interlocking spaces to explore the theme of the Void, which runs parallel to the theme of Hope and Redemption. The Oratorio was composed in 1725

In a series of three interlocked spaces, the Visitor

1. VOID Will encounter reflections on the Void, the absence, the idea of missing, underscored by interactive cross cutting of ambient sound structures and music . A section will balance Loss with the conventions of the Tabula Rasa suggesting possibilities of purification.

2. FOOTFALL Will turn to a corridor of Trajectory, with a visual and aural set of variations on the rhythm and determination of the Footfall, and the end of journeys travelling through darkness to light. The passage will incorporate Bach’s infusion of his music with Dance and Joy and indeed his evocation of laughter

3. CONVERGENCE The final space will show collaborators working together in a single work of Resolution and Joy, the equivalent of the Four Soloists in the Oratorio converging in a Gigue with choir and TRUMPET fire..

Appendix

1. PERFORMANCE. A performance of the work conducted by John Eliot Gardner can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ICH1gK5fQ

2. TEXT “ The Easter Oratorio, composed in 1725, is an extended cantata that displays Bach’s consummate skill as a storyteller. The dash of running feet, the uncertainty of the empty tomb and the adrenalin rush of realising Jesus has risen from the dead are all brought vividly to life through his infinite musical invention. After a boisterous opening, we are pitched into the drama of the disciples – represented by the quartet of soloists – with heartfelt arias for the two Marys (soprano and alto) and Peter (tenor) reflecting on their fears and hopes. “ From the Orchestra’s site.