Stargazing
St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace hosted ‘Stargazing’, a fresh multimedia concert on 13, 15 & 19 December 2005. The idea was to present an alternative take on the usual Christmas concerts, and featured the pianist/composer, Jay de Cock, and singer, Harley Tuca, with lighting design and video projections by Simon Keyes.
The first half will was a recital of lesser-known piano pieces by Bach, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, and Messiaen, as well as an original set of variations by Jay de Cock on the plainsong ‘Veni, veni Emmanuel'.
The second half was the world premier of Jay de Cock’s song cycle, ‘Reflections on a Baby Star’ for soprano, piano, and electronics. With texts taken from Jewish, Sufi, Buddhist, Roman Catholic, traditional English and Pagan literature, the work was a meditation on the idea of a star as the ‘Messiah’ – ever constant and ever watching over us. Whether this star took the face of Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, the Madonna or even the ringing of church bells, the message was always the same: We are all from the same family, so war, poverty and division on our planet must end!
Using traditional Classical styles, Indian scales and modes, Arabic and African rhythms, and modern electronic dance influences, De Cock created an exotic tapestry; reconciling many diverse and conflicting musical styles.
Narrating this musical journey was the expressive and dynamic voice of Harley Tuca, who combined a classical foundation with elements of Pop and Jazz to create a vocal sound that was both unique and richly varied.
St Ethelburga’s director, Simon Keyes, provided an evocative visual backing, using video projections and a full rig of lights,
reflecting the themes from the texts magnificently.
