Beyond the Sanctuary Walls (2023)

A Cantata

for Soprano, Double Bass, and String Orchestra

Duration: 25 min

Program Note

In Beyond the Sanctuary Walls, I explore the relationship between love and fear. In life, I have found fear to be a major obstacle to loving and being loved. Whether it is a fear of some perceived external danger, or a fear of my own nature, my tendency to protect against fear has often led me to distance myself from others. The “sanctuary” in the title refers to those special places and circumstances where I have been able to connect with people. While there is beauty and safety within a sanctuary, its very existence implies that the outside world is dangerous. I have often found myself wanting to stay within the sanctuary I have already created, in turn shrinking my world to only a handful of people I felt fully safe with. In the past year, I have worked to expand the walls of my sanctuary to allow in more love. To move the walls, I have had to feel into my fears and speak them into clarity. I composed this piece as a gift to the person who gave me an expansive, love-filled view of life.

The five movements of Beyond the Sanctuary Walls form a symmetrical arc.

Movement I is a love song sung from within the safe walls of the sanctuary.

In Movement II, we dare to leave the sanctuary. We venture beyond the walls and confront a fierce, explosive terror. The soprano is absent, leaving the contrabass alone with no words to communicate what is felt.

Movement III is a love song of an intimate kind. It stands alone amidst the elemental and cosmic unfolding of the outer arcs. It is an observation of an everyday marvel: the tendency of the morning hours to slip by unnoticed when they are shared with someone we love.

Movement IV begins a process of transformation. We return to the terror of Movement II, but this time with a significant change – the soprano has replaced the solo contrabass, giving voice to previously unspoken fears. The movement ends with a shattering of the nightmare, an exploding of the limiting walls, and as our sanctuary expands, the music breathes. We see we are still safe, and we enter the final movement with a calming exhale.

In Movement V, we have at last returned to the love song of the opening measures of the piece. The first movement replays, but now our sanctuary walls have come down, and we notice something we previously could not, the beauty of the empty night sky filling with overwhelming light.

Press

A review of Beyond The Sanctuary Walls appeared in Paper City Magazine following the premiere. The article can be found here: Article

Performances

Premiere Scheduled: 5/2023 Ally Smither, soprano; Charles Paul, bass; Kinetic String Orchestra