for St Gabriel’s

Performance: 3 Harbours Arts Festival, Prestonpans - 7 July 2018

Location: St Gabriel’s RC Church, Prestonpans

Cello: Joanna Stark

Percussion: Caitlin Monaghan

Architect: Alison and Hutchison and Partners, 1965

for St Gabriel’s

The striking modernist design of St Gabriel’s stands like a concrete iceberg in a sea of green. I was particularly struck by the way the light caught the building’s sharp edges and was flooded into the interior through high openings. In considering my approach I decided to focus on five key features which have formed the structure of the piece.

The powerful opening on the cello embodies the bold design of the church and the concrete rendered walls. Colour is added through various textures on percussion while the cello concludes the section with gestures that reference the concave curved wall at the west end of the building.

The second section explores the beautiful play of light above the altar. Thin, ethereal textures (created by bowed cymbal and cello harmonics) illustrate the striking beams of natural light created by the rooflights and vertical side windows.

Focusing on the nave, the third section presents warm, full tones on the cello and tam-tam, depicting the rich bespoke timber pews, while glissando on the cello evokes the grain of the wood. An exploration of lower registers suggests the dark terrazzo floor; a striking contrast to the light marble altar.

The music then explores light, shimmering textures on the cello, accompanied by bowed tam-tam, evoking the colourful stained glass chapel.

Scored for congas and temple blocks, with percussive colours on the cello, the final section is in part informed by the materials in the main door; wood and glass. The momentum created from these rhythmic gestures seeks to evoke the wider energy of the building and its concentric circular design, while also reflecting the daily comings and goings.