Revelation Raptures (from Organ Symphony No. 18) (2020)

Bernard Heyes (b. 1951) — Revelation Raptures (from Organ Symphony No. 18) (2020)

The composer has written: “There are a number of forms of revelation from the spiritual to the conceptual from the profound to the ephemeral. In this final movement of the symphony I have aspired to encapsulate the euphoria of such an experience. The movement opens with an exotic dance which includes rhythmic sections expressing ecstatic joy. In addition there is the first statement of a short anagogic theme. There follows further development of all this previous material. The second half is a rhythmic toccata which starts with the introduction of two stately and powerful fortissimo themes. The first in unison between the pedals and manuals and the second in the pedals in octaves accompanied by strident chords. All these ideas are then developed again ending with the return of the anagogic theme played fortissimo in octaves in the pedal with dramatic chords followed by a mighty cadence.”

English composer Bernard J. D. Heyes (b. 1951) was born in Kent and began his musical studies at age 21. As a composer, he has focused particularly on music for the organ, most especially his extensive cycle of 20 organ symphonies. Heyes’s musical style draws on a variety of influences and diverse sources of inspiration including the natural world (especially gardens and trees), states of transcendence, ancient Greek philosophy, world cultures and places, life, death, and subatomic physics. The result is music of large scale that connects to the organ’s traditional repertoire while also speaking with a profound and individual voice.

Published by Heyes Music (bernardheyes.org.uk)