Visioni ed Estasi

VISIONI ed ESTASI was commissioned by the Festival of Flanders Mechelen for the TENSO Days 2015, an international festival for choral music. The work was originally composed for three professional choirs and one large choir (seven amateur choirs) and electronics. It is an extensive work of 45 minutes, in which introspective moments alternate with intense ecstatic moments. The inspiration for the text was a verse from the Latin requiem mass, the Lux Aeterna. The original text was deconstructed and has no semantic value, but the essence, the message of Light and Hope, is very clearly present in this work. This message is found in most cultures and religions. Visioni ed Estasi was also inspired by the paintings of Francisco de Zurbaràn, especially the work “Saint Francis of Assisi in his Tomb”. Much of Henderickx's work is inspired by the East, and this work is set in a broader spiritual context. The electronics serve to support the choirs but also interact with the voices. The choirs engage in dialogue in a set-up inspired by the Venetian “Cori Spezzati” to create a stronger spatial effect. VISIONI ed ESTASI premiered in St Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen on 17 May 2015 (Festival of Flanders-Mechelen and TENSO Days) with ten choirs and James Wood as principal conductor. Professional choirs from the Netherlands, France and Finland sang together with seven amateur choirs from Mechelen, 200 voices in total. Visioni ed Estasi consists of 11 parts: Prologue: Sacred Time Vision I: Suffering Ecstasy 1: Darkness Song of Memories (Interlude 1) Vision II: Void Ecstasy 2: Fire (Passion) Vision III: Love Ecstasy 3: Light (Goodness) Song of Compassion (Interlude 2) Vision IV: Hope Epilogue: Sacred Space In 2016, Wim Henderickx created a more compact version of this work, entitled Estasi, for mixed choirs, soprano solo, bass solo and electronics ad lib.