A work for unaccompanied SATTBB choir, constructed in the form of a
Byzantine Canon.
The work was commissioned by James Lancelot and the
Choir of Durham Cathedral who gave the first performance on the occasion
of the 1300th anniversary of the death of St. Cuthbert: 20th March,
1987.
Commissioned by James Lancelot and the Choir of Durham Cathedral
who gave its first performance on the 20th of March 1987, the 1300th
anniversary of St Cuthbert's death.
Structurally modelled on a
Byzantine Canon, Ikon of St Cuthbert, 'an ikon of music and words in the
place of wood and paint, seeks to recall, in its stylized form, the
personal aura of Cuthbert, Saint of Lindisfarne'.
The text is again by
Mother Thekla, a contemplation on Cuthbert's life from his early piety
and life as a monk, acts of spiritual healing, consecration as a bishop
and retreat into solitude, to his death on Farne and ultimate burial in
Durham.
Imagery of water runs throughout the verses.