Ely Consort - 'Maranâ thâ’, Ji Heng Lee - 28 Nov.2015 - ElyCathedral

Описание: Matthew Rudd - Musical Director, Ely Consort - 28 Nov.2015

This year Ely Consort held our first composing competition, inviting composers from across the UK to submit a piece of choral music suitable for Advent. After an enjoyable evening earlier this term spent rehearsing a number of the short-listed entries, the choir chose two pieces to receive their first performances at our 'O Come, Emmanuel' concert in Ely Cathedral on Saturday 28th November 2015. The winning composition was a setting of ‘Jesus Christ the Apple Tree’ by Edmund Jolliffe, and we also awarded a prize to Ji Heng Lee for his composition ‘Maranâ thâ’.

We were delighted that both Edmund Jolliffe & Ji Heng Lee were able to join us for the premiere of their compositions.

Ji Heng writes:

Maranâ thâ ‘Come, O Lord.’ (1 Cor 16:22)
Maran 'athâ ‘Our Lord has come.’

These are the two lexical forms into which this two-word Aramaic formula may be translated (from the Greek expression), and between which interpretations translators have also debated. Either way, the expression holds strong significance for the spirit of Advent – the expectation for the coming of the Lord (maranâ thâ), and its eventual fulfilment through His being with us (maran 'athâ). This choral work thus presents both forms of the expression, with texts taken (with some parts abridged) from the King James Version of Isaiah 64:1-2, 40:10-11, and Psalm 80:1, 80:19.