Ancient of Days

Program Note:

Two nights ago we presented Book of Spells, a world premiere chamber work from Zachary Wadsworth. Wadsworth, a Richmond native now teaching at Williams College in Massachusetts, is an incredibly gifted and versatile composer—in our opinion, one of the finest composers among the next generation of American masters. Testifying to his range as a creative artist, we hear his Ancient of Days, commissioned by SMF and given its world premiere this evening. Ancient of Days is scored for two performers at one organ. And what an organ this is, the great Taylor and Boody instrument here in Trinity Episcopal.
Organists are noted for their ability to multi-task at the console, working feet and hands across many voice parts. Put two organists together on the bench and things get even more interesting. With video assistance courtesy of Bravi Films, we have a chance to witness everything that is going on up in the loft. According to Wadsworth, the initial spark for this work comes from a biblical passage in Daniel:

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. (Daniel 7:9)

In the book of Daniel, God is called the “Ancient of Days,” a phrase that inspires awe and mystery. Here, says the composer, “God is at once unimaginably old and uncomfortably present: a judge as old as time itself, whose primordial voice still sings to us with ice and fire.” Wadsworth continues:

In the sounds of organs, sometimes sweet and sometimes cutting, we hear timbres that have endured over centuries. These sounds helped to build the musical world in which we now live, but they persist, still singing for those with open ears. This piece begins, wandering and primeval, with a lone melodic line snaking across the keys. From this point of creation, the musical texture grows continuously in the hands and feet of the two organists: first with brief flickers of color, then with two paired musical lines, then with rich harmony, and finally in a fiery contrapuntal climax.

(c) Jason Stell and Zachary Wadsworth