Path of Miracles [2006]
‘The Path of Miracles , Tenebrae’s new commission from Joby Talbot, released early May 2006 on Signum Records.
The Times, Saturday 22nd April 2006
Three and a half years in the making, Path of Miracles is a choral cycle structured around the renowned pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain – a more serious endeavour than the film soundtracks and pop arrangements for Paul McCartney and the Divine Comedy that Talbot has become known for. Incorporating traditions of vocal music from medieval France, Renaissance Italy and even Taiwan, the four movements here are named after pilgrim staging posts and chronicle a valedictory, adverse and penitent journey for more than an hour. Quotes in various archaic languages from medieval sources are woven in with contemporary poetry by Robert Dickinson. The textures created by the mixed ensemble Tenebrae make this an evocative odyssey. David Rose
Joby Talbot’s ambitious a cappella Path of Miracles is little short of a musical miracle itself. It is a major statement and supremely assured. Tenebrae have surely got a major hit on their hands; I would go as far to suggest that Talbot’s Path of Miracles is to the first decade of the 21st century what Arvo Part’s Passio was twenty years earlier. Nick Breckenfield
In the spotlight as one of the most exciting and intriguing new choral works of the year, the Path of Miracles tells of the pilgrimage Santiago di Compostella, and draws the listener in to the music in such a way that the experience becomes more than a simply aural one.
Each year, considerably more than 50,000 people from all over the world arrive on foot, blistered and fatigued, in the small Galician city of Santiago di Compostella, at the conclusion of a long and arduous journey across northern Spain. Many are making a gesture of faith in the manner of their Catholic forefathers, who in the early centuries of the last millennium travelled in their hundreds-of-thousands each year in search of atonement and healing at the shrine of St James in Santiago. But an increasing number today are making the journey for personal reasons. The ‘camino’, as it is known in Spain, often marks a turning point in the life of the pilgrim. He or she may be recovering from a period of personal crisis or loss, or searching for something: a sense of spirituality, a feeling of peace, or a burst of motivation. Somehow, the road to Santiago provides all of this through its shared hardship, its miraculous beauty and its lasting companionship.
‘The Path of Miracles’ has been released in Super Audio CD / hybrid surround sound (or SACD). The disc was recorded by Tenebrae using special technology that allows the CD to be played in any regular CD player and in SACD players, allowing full surround sound.
Surround sound is the concept of expanding the spatial imaging of audio playback from one dimension (mono/stereo left-right) to two or three dimensions. This is often used for a more realistic audio environment, actively implemented in cinema sound systems, technical theatre, home entertainment, and a growing amount of orchestral and choral music recording. The Path of Miracles is an ideal opportunity to employ this technology due to the spatial variety of a Tenebrae performance and also the many different colours and forces encountered during the course of the piece.
‘I called in to one of the recording sessions in London and was blown-away by the range and the power of the music. It’s in so many parts, and the richness of the singing, from as quiet as you can imagine to as loud as you could believe with only 17 or 18 singers, is intoxicating. I can’t wait to hear the surround sound disc. It will suit the music perfectly I suspect.’ Jacques Villeneuve (patron)
‘This is a remarkable work and a fabulous achievement by Tenebrae. Seeing the work live is an exceptional experience due to the spacial separations and movement by the choir during the music. Their tour in Spain will be particularly relevant as it takes in many of the venues along the route of the Pilgrimage itself.’ Lady Valerie Solti
Purchasing
Total running time: 62’26
For further information please contact Signum Records on +44 20 8997 4000
info@signumrecords.com