The World on Fire

A winter concert revolving around nature, wonder, and the promise of a new day - featuring music by Benedict Sheehan, Ola Gjeilo, Philip Cooke, James MacMillan, and Christopher Tin; presented by LOTUS Chorale and LOTUS Festival Orchestra. 

The World on Fire is a setting of two diary fragments from Jackie Stedall, former University Lecturer in the History of Mathematics and fellow of The Queen’s College at Oxford University... The short fragments are bucolic and pastoral and full of the wonderment and spiritual power of nature – the title of the work comes from the second diary fragment: ‘The world on fire, not the fire of destruction, but of energy, creation, love. Burning in every moment.’

My setting is very simple, entirely homophonic and aims to enhance Jackie’s thoughts at being overwhelmed by the beauty and vivacity of the natural world. The work is in two sections (corresponding to the two diary fragments): a reflective opening section in A minor in which the sopranos have the melody above a repeating choral accompaniment and a more vivid, luminous section in C# minor which tries to capture some of the inherent power of the ‘energy, creation and love’.

Philip Cooke