Spaces =96 Beyond = the End of the World

Spaces =96 Beyond the End of = the=20 World

by John Hardy

Reviewed by Bethan James, = July=20 2006

Described as =91a choral = journey to an=20 unknown place=92, John Hardy=92s latest choral work Spaces =96 = beyond the end of=20 the world=20 sets out to explore journeys from the mythical to the spiritual, to = reach new=20 and unknown locations. Broaching life and death, the work engages with = some=20 fairly intense ideas. Yet Spaces does not dictate, but rather = invites you=20 to take your own journey, with each movement as a point of departure or=20 meditative rest on the way.

Commissioned by the Vivace=20 Singers and=20 performed with two other choirs (Only Men Aloud and = Serendipity) Spaces =96 = beyond the=20 end of the world premiered June 2006 in Chapter = Arts=20 Centre, Cardiff. A choral work scored for various vocal combinations = with Harp,=20 Piano, tuned percussion, bass drum and strings or organ, the music = consists of,=20 at present, seven contrasting movements, ranging from intense and = powerful to=20 more ethereal and reflective slow movements.

The=20 words draw on a number of sources, from Latin liturgy to texts written=20 specifically for the work, all relating in various ways to concepts of = journeys=20 and transcendence yet without any overriding structured narrative. In = fact, the=20 focus is largely removed from the words themselves, with the emphasis = placed on=20 vocal sonorities. Each movement exploits the capabilities of distinct = vocal=20 groupings and accompaniments, creating textures that combine words and = sounds to=20 evoke different emotions, rather than allowing word setting to dictate = the=20 music. =

Hardy=20 actively stresses the importance placed on vocal sounds over words, = saying =91I=20 asked the choirs not to over-emphasise verbal clarity, but more to let = the lines=20 flow, like Renaissance choral music=92. The result is an intense = series of=20 interweaving textures and sounds, and a significant amount of freedom = for the=20 listener, unrestricted by any finite focus and without a copy of the = words in=20 front of them to detach or distract.

Dramatic and powerful, the = opening=20 movement Departure immediately plunges the = listener in to a=20 world of spine-tingling intensity, inducing a sense of awe and = trepidation=20 through eerie harmonies, weighty percussion and soaring soprano solos = but with=20 an uplifting finish that anticipates the journey = ahead.

In=20 direct contrast, a movement entitled Calm = Space follows, written = for a choir=20 of female voices and impressing a sense of serene and tranquil = reflection after=20 the opening, suggesting visions of heaven and angels. Equally = contrasting=20 movements follow, offering distinct emotions and sounds and finishing = with=20 another calm movement, Dreams, with lyrics by the Alabama = poet Rebecca=20 Stager, pointing to the final destination deep within the realms of the=20 unknown.

It is=20 the emphasis on choral textures, however, submerging the listener in = overlapping=20 vocal lines and often seemingly wordless vocal sounds, that enables the = work to=20 transport the listener beyond any fixed subject matter and ultimately = succeed in=20 producing a journey that reaches into the unknown without forcing any = concrete=20 definition upon the listener of where or what that might be.=20

And=20 Hardy insists that there is a lot more to come. He describes the work as = =91organically growing=92, composed in a process by = which music=20 and words evolve together and with much more development still to occur: = =91I=20 really want to do performances of maybe small sections, in weird and = wonderful=20 locations such as quarries, waterfalls, and underground caves, and film=20 these.=92

With=20 new movements already underway, the project also aims to involve school=20 children, writing their own musical responses, culminating in a final=20 performance, if there is such a thing, in 2007. Either way Spaces = =96 beyond=20 the end of the world seems to be a work that = refuses to be=20 pinned down, shifting in form and location, and to be continually = redefined by=20 each listener=92s own reactions.