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In 2012 I was ready to put together a recording of my latest piano compositions featuring the Mirrors of Light pieces alongside other new piano works. The CD was recorded at the award winning studio, Potton Hall in Suffolk, England. The day after recording was finished, we took a trip to Southwold on the Suffolk coast and this is where I captured the photograph of the seagull flying into the sunlight which was chosen for the CD cover.
Looking at the photograph I became very aware that ´The Seagull´ represented the journey of this whole project.
The motif of ´The Seagull´ originally emerged when I was invited to be part of an exciting new artistic collaboration in Germany working alongside German ballet dancer Oliver Essigmann and British photographer Annette Horn. Swiss pianist Patricia Siffert was invited to perform a recital of my music with these artists in October 2011, and we decided to call the whole evening Mirrors of Light as it would also be a showcase for the ´World Premiere´ of the piano piece, Mirrors of Light 2. Oliver choreographed a new dance to the music and Annette´s large scale photography was projected behind the dance and piano. Annette chose images from her stunning series of Seagulls in motion.
Several months later, as I walked along the Suffolk coast, here were the seagulls again. The story and music of Mirrors of Light is very much for me about Soul ´traveling and expanding´ in consciousness, so the key image of a bird that connects ocean and land, representing for me a link between the spiritual and earth, offered me a perfect metaphor. Realising this, I felt a deeper connection to the journey I was making and the creative process became clearer.
After this I started to notice how ´The Seagull´ was appearing at key points in my creative journey. For example, when I visited Gloucester Cathedral to plan a concert performance there, there was a sculpture in the town centre that to me, looked very much like a CD rack, and there perched on the top was, yes, a seagull! Arriving at Gloucester Cathedral I was surprised and delighted to find that seagulls abound there too!
During the evening of the Gloucester cathedral concert, when the pianist Patricia Siffert arrived at the ‘still point’ of her performance of Mirrors of light 2, a point where the music embraces space and silence, the seagulls above the Cathedral, started to call. To some that might have been considered as interrupting the music, but In my opinion that was perfect timing! Their sound became part of the live performance. Then as the piece came to an end, the Cathedral joined in too - with a couple of perfectly placed chimes to complete the performance. Divine orchestration! Showing me when we engage and work with the rhythms of the life force, we are shown we are not alone in the creative process.
Mirrors of Light - 21st century piano music by Rosemary Duxbury
performed by Patricia Siffert
Available as a CD or download from iTunes etc or for more information visit the composer's website or email music@charasound.com
Also watch Patricia Siffert perform extracts of ´Mirrors of Light 1´ on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7XjpGd8lDA