Crepuscular Hour was originally commissioned for a performance at the Ultima festival 2010 in Uranienborg church, Oslo. The work is composed for three choirs, three pairs of noise musicians and concert organ. All performers surround the audience, and are amplified locally. In 2012, the piece was adapted for a performance at the Town Hall of Huddersfield with the idea to transform the work into a gigantic sound and light installation. By bringing down the lighting rig from the high ceiling to the stage floor and removing the seating, the audience were placed at the heart of the piece, and encouraged to walk around to make their own crepuscular journey. The composition gradually introduces the performers standing on the balconies, on the stage and at floor level. The first section focuses on the front performers, with the second, long section starting with those performing at the back of the room. Eventually, everyone is playing simultaneously in the final, cathartic quarter of the crepuscular hour.
The surround sound mix for the DVD is true to the positioning of the musicians, taking the viewpoint of the middle of the hall, facing the stage. The film uses various footage from the performance at the Town Hall with additional imagery made by Kathy Hinde especially for this release.
All texts are from the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient books containing over fifty texts, that was discovered in upper Egypt in 1945. These texts have provided a major re-evaluation of early Christian history. I have chosen text fragments touching on the origin of the world and of humans. A female divinity is in charge. On her own, she creates a ruler for the material world who turns out to be a beast; ‘and its eyes were like lightning fires’. Then, her divine offspring Sophia (Wisdom) creates an androgynous human from a droplet of light. In Crepuscular Hour we are at the origin of the world with texts depicting both chaos and consolidation. Following this, Sophia calls out to today’s people of Earth, attempting to teach us how imbalance still creates darkness and war. She pleads and she is furious. ‘Be on your guard!’, she rages.
Rune grammofon: “The concert was beautifully filmed and directed by Kathy Hinde and can be found on the DVD that comes with both the CD and 2LP editions. This also includes a 5.1 surround sound option. The special vinyl edition comes with an embossed, golden foil spot on the sleeve. Only 70 hand numbered copies were printed, making it a rare thing of beauty. We will sell 50 of this through our webshop, and it might very soon be the most desirable item in our catalogue. Max one item pr. customer. The ordinary vinyl edition is limited to 430 copies. Both vinyl editions come with an etching on Side D. All three editions come with the DVD. Released 18.03.16.”
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Credits:
Live performance at Town Hall, Huddersfield 20th November 10pm
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2012
Performed by The 24, RNCM Chamber Choir, University of Huddersfield Chamber Choir, Stian Westerhus, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Phil Julian, Mark Durgan, Antoine Chessex, Lasse Marhaug and Nils Henrik Asheim.
Conducted by James Weeks.
Sound mix by Maja S. K. Ratkje at Notam, Oslo, Norway
Mastered by Håvard Christensen at Store Studio, Bodø, Norway
Town Hall performance filmed by Kai Miedendorp and Kathy Hinde
Additional footage made by Kathy Hinde in Bristol, UK
Lights at Town Hall by Johnny Marshall
Film edited by Kathy Hinde
Sleeve design by Kim Hiorthøy