for Craigsbank

Performances: Edinburgh Doors Open Day - 23 September 2017 and 23 September 2023, Architecture Fringe - 9 June 2018

Location: Craigsbank Parish Church, Edinburgh

Cello: Joanna Stark

Architect: Sir William Kininmonth, 1966

for Craigsbank

This wonderful modernist structure takes the form of a square sanctuary, held by supporting hands that curve around each entrance, embracing you as you enter and exit the building. The piece is structured in seven sections and explores aspects of both the interior and exterior design.

The work opens with an exploration of the gradated entrance; a solid straight line is set behind an angular line, leading to the entrance and bell tower. This is translated musically as a single low pitch on the cello to which a very slow ascending glissando is added. The bottom pitch, unchanging, depicts the straight line, while the drawn out glissando evokes the depth and grandeur of the entrance.

Retaining the glissando technique, through an exploration of shorter, freer gestures, the next section focuses on the two straight beams at the top of the bell tower and their curved shadows. The cellist is free to determine the range and speed of the glissando; this indeterminate approach acknowledges that the intensity and depth of these shadows is dependant on the intensity of light.

The church bell produces an attractive resonance, formed from high and low pitches. The third section of the work seeks to provide a subtle reference to the bell through the inclusion of low pizzicato and harmonics almost sounding in unison.

The square sanctuary is a striking space to behold; there is a boldness created through the use of concrete, sharp lines and solid columns yet the ceiling has an almost floating quality. The next section depicts the juxtaposition of the bold, powerful design and the light, ethereal quality through the intermittent use of open strings and harmonics.

Particularly beautiful on a bright day, the exterior of the building acts as a white canvas on top of which other shapes and forms take life. The fifth section presents short flourishes and gestures that evoke the fleeting image of leaves and branches from neighbouring trees dancing on the side of the church.

While the shallow moat, an aspect of the original design, is no longer in use, I wanted to acknowledge this feature of the building. Short fluctuations around a central pitch (through trills and various speeds of vibrato) create simple allusions to light refractions on water.

The work concludes with a short section that seeks to embrace the wonderful simplicity of Kininmonth’s design. A single harmonic is presented under which the cellist lightly touches the open D string, creating a slightly fuller, purer sound. The piece thus finishes with a final reference to the juxtaposition of the bold and floating qualities of this modernist gem.