The Veil of the Temple
The Work
The Veil of the Temple was composed in 2003 to a commission from the London’s Temple Church and, following its premiere there, has, had been heard again in its entirety only twice (in New York und Amsterdam).
The work symbolizes a journey through night into light, the path from deep sorrow over Christ’s death to cognizance of his Resurrection. When Jesus died, the Evangelists report that the massive curtain, or veil, of the Temple of Solomon hanging at the entrance to the Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom. God thereby delivered mankind from original sin, opening up between humanity and the divinity a direct path of communication.
The work comprises eight cycles. The first seven are all identically constructed but become successively longer and richer. The first cycles lasts 20 minutes, the seventh over an hour. Each cycle consists of 25 building blocks, indicated in the libretto by capital letters.
Every cycle begins with a soprano aria, sung by a soloist embodying Mary Magdalen as Christ’s most intimate companion. The striking of a tam-tam marks the beginning of the cyclic ritual in which different musical motives symbolize different aspects of the relationship between God and Man according to Christian teachings. The meditative prayer “Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”, sung in English and Greek, is introduced as a caesura between the various sections. The heart of each cycle is a passage from the Gospel of St. John. Sung in continuous succession are Jesus’ farewell discussions with his disciples at the Last Supper, according to John 13:31-18:1. Each cycle concludes with a psalm.
In Cycle VIII the unifying principle of the series is broken. All the performers – 200 singers and 12 instrumentalists – unite in celebration of rising light of dawn. The distinctions between religions collapse. Atma, the true Self, is no longer separated from Maya, material reality.
Further information can be found in the programme booklet for The Veil of the Temple (in German only).
