Listen to Martin Stacey performing Three liturgical stained-glass paintings Op95 on 7th October 2006 at St Dominic's Priory, London NW5

Three liturgical stained-glass paintings Op.95 (1993)

Introitus - Kyrie orbis factor - Gloria

Three Liturgical Stained-glass Paintings op. 95 was composed for the Parish of Kerava, Finland, to inaugurate the new Paschen organ. The first performance was given during Advent in 1993. The title of the piece is a homage to the unknown medieval masters of stained-glass windows, which are so fragile and yet still so durable, surviving into our time better than the treasure of Gregorian melodies which nowadays are almost forgotten. The Introitus (Hommage à St-Chapelle de Paris) is like a tremolo of sunbeams and colours without any outlines, played in the highest registers of the organ. The Kyrie Orbis Factor (Hommage à Notre-Dame de Chartres) has a Gregorian cantus firmus in the pedal, interrupted by a gradually increasing b-a-c-h theme. In the first two pieces the right hand is playing white keys and the left hand the black ones. Under the chords in the Gloria (Hommage à Notre-Dame de Paris) there sounds the hymn of praise “Allein Gott in der Höh’ sei Ehr” and variations on the b-a-c-h theme. There are three short cadenzas of improvised clusters over different manuals like the flaming rotation of rose windows.

Duration: 12 minutes
Available from: SULASOL
Price: £4.50