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The Third Millenium

SATB, Bar Solo, 2 Flutes, Harp, Strings and Gong | 2013

1. Incantation: SATB and Orchestra

2. Sky Burial: Baritone/Narrator and Orchestra

3. Mirage: SATB and Orchestratext by Nick Nye

The Third Millenium takes the September 11th 2001 attack on the Twin Towers in New York as its starting point. The text explores ways in which beliefs we hold affect our daily lives, our dreams and our visions. It touches on the desperate plight experienced by many caught up in war zones, shattered streets ruled by the gun. The last section suggests an image, a mirage, of where this may take us.

Set for choir, Baritone/Narrator, Flutes, Harp, Gong and Strings, the first section, Incantation, uses a version of choral chanting and the second, Sky Burial, a delivery close to Sprechstimme for the solo voice. The third section, Mirage, uses conventional musical parlance,

Incantation asks the choir to use speech at a pitch appropriate to each voice. The precise pitch is not given within the staff but, other than those indicated, it should remain at that single pitch. This creates an effect close to choral recitataion but with a driving urgency, somewhat like religious chanting incantation.

Sky Burial asks the Baritone/Narrator to extend Natural Speech Intonations to emphasise the flow and sense of the text whilst following the given rhythmic guidelines.

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