The light of paradise
Composer:
Paul Mealor
For chorus and saxophone quartet
Is a 50-minute choral opera, originally commissioned by the Zurich Chamber Singers, that explores the life of the Medieval English mystic Margery Kempe.
The work is structured around 14 movements, or "devotions," which are loosely based on the Stations of the Cross and use texts from Margery Kempe's autobiography - the first biography to be published that was written by a woman. It is scored for chorus and saxophone quartet, and mixes choral writing with solos, creating a sound world that is both ancient and modern.