Artists

Carolyn Sampson OBE soprano
Joseph Middleton piano
Andrew Staples lighting designer

Star Falling is an immersive staged recital created by polymath Andy Staples, pianist Joseph Middleton and soprano Carolyn Sampson, bringing together music from nearly nine centuries in an atmospheric world of light, darkness, silence and wonder. Inspired by Messiaen’s extraordinary Chants de terre et de ciel, the programme moves from the visionary music of Hildegard von Bingen through Crumb, Boulanger, Dutilleux and Messiaen, exploring states of being rather than telling a single story. In the evocative surroundings of Broderick Hall, lighting and projections by Andy Staples will transform the space around the performers, creating a visual landscape in which music, poetry and image become one.

At the heart of the evening is Messiaen’s deeply personal cycle, written to celebrate marriage, family, love and new life, before the programme journeys through grief, historical trauma, consolation and renewed wonder. The evening also looks firmly towards the future, with two world premières commissioned through the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Composers Programme, by Roderick Williams and Aníbal Vidal. From medieval chant to brand-new music, Star Falling is a journey into the infinite — an invitation to listen, look and experience these extraordinary works anew.

Programme

Hildegard von Bingen
O choruscans (lux stellarum)

George Crumb
Makrokosmos I

George Crumb
The Night in Silence under Many a Star (from Apparition)
Night (from Three Early Songs)

Lili Boulanger
Reflets

Henri Dutilleux
Chanson de la déportée

Olivier Messiaen
Chants de terre et de ciel

Leoš Janáček 

Good Night (from On an Overgrown Path) 

Aníbal Vidal
World Première of new song cycle, Leeds Song Commission

Cheryl Frances-Hoad
Star Falling

Elizabeth Maconchy
Sun, Moon and Stars

Erik Satie
Les anges

John Tavener
Zodiacs

Roderick Williams
The Primal Seed of Mind – World Première