Overview

for SSATB (with divisions) unaccompanied A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture reminiscent of the biblical Morning Star referenced in the title. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the piece is equally suitable for secular celebrations of Christmas. It was commissioned for the Choir of Merton College, Oxford, and in 2013 was shortlisted for a British Composer Award.

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9780193388369

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Christmas with St John's (Signum) is a meticulously sung carol collection from the always classy choir of St John's College, Cambridge. Most arresting is O Oriens, a beautiful setting of an Advent antiphon, its shimmering tone clusters and delicious suspensions evoking the morning star as it slowly rises through the heavens. * The Guardian online, December 2016 * The sonorous bass pedal which opens Cecilia McDowall's O Oriens is illuminated from above by an aurora of shifting harmonies, creating shimmering waves of sound-light. It's a truly magical setting of one of the Advent antiphons, and the precision and focus it received here [Fantasia on Christmas Carols: Sonoro at Kings Place, 18 December 2018] enhanced its transcendental glow. * www.operatoday.com, December 2018 *

Author Information

Cecilia McDowall has been described by the International Record Review as having a 'communicative gift that is very rare in modern music. An award-winning composer, McDowall is often inspired by extra-musical influences, and her choral writing combines rhythmic vitality with expressive lyricism. Her music has been commissioned, performed, and recorded by leading choirs, among them the BBC Singers, The Sixteen, and Oxford and Cambridge choirs and is regularly programmed at prestigious festivals in Britain and abroad. In 2017 McDowall was selected for an Honorary Fellow award by the Royal School of Church Music.

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