Perpetual Light: Requiem for an Unscorched Earth
“Musically, the piece was rich and ethereal throughout. An exquisite mix of atonal and tonal music, Perpetual Light was a dark, tormented piece, punctuated by moments of brightness. Curry’s music did more than dig up the ghosts of our past; it shed light and hope upon the future of humanity.” “The music the choir make is exquisite; complex and interwoven and still sounding simple and urgent and sad. it is a sublime experience to sit in this dark tunnel with the constant sonic rumbling of the trains over our heads like some omnipresent thundering of storms gathering, and fall inside this music.” “The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country.” Perpetual Light received its premiere in June 2011 and was the culmination of a huge and lengthy artistic process. It fuses live choir, film and installation to create a unique and profoundly moving experience that remembers those who lost their lives in the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Recent events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan have given the work an additional resonance, as once again we face the potential consequences of nuclear accident as well as war. Yet despite our fears of nuclear devastation, the human race has not yet destroyed itself. Perpetual Light is a testament to humankind’s extraordinary will to survive. It is this celebration of hope that has earned the concert the endorsement of UNESCO, the United Nations body dedicated to fostering international peace and understanding. The extraordinary Old Vic Tunnels were an ideal site for this immersive, poignant experience. I worked with NESTA fellow Jo Fairfax on the extraordinary visuals and Londinium choir sang the Requiem, conducted by Andrew Griffiths. Visit the Perpetual Light website here. All images by Chryssa Panoussiadou |
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