Veni

SKU: CA.739300

ISBN 9790007172268. Text language: Latin.

Veni was composed by Kay Johannsen in November 2015. Similar to his 2010 work Et vidimus gloriam eius for four choral groups (SSA, TTB, SATB, SATB) and organ based on the beginning of St John's Gospel, Veni requires a spatial separation of three four-part choirs. The starting point of the composition is the 12th century hymn Veni redemptor gentium by St Ambrose of Milan, which Martin Luther used as the basis of his 1524 hymn Nun komm, der Heiland. The four sections of the cantus firmus are sung in turn by all the basses, altos, sopranos, and tenors, each part at a louder dynamic than the other parts. For the accompanying voices Johannsen uses different principles of canonic technique and motivic variation, with most of the material derived from the cantus firmus. The organ part of this 12-part chorale arrangement provides a harmonic orientation, but is completely independent and introduces both moments of rhythmic accentuation and elements of veiling. The choral writing is also deepened and elevated by the organ sounds derived from the text. Despite all the motivic links between the parts, the music has a direct sensual effect as a sound collage. The work ends with three increasingly distant, homophonic invocations of Veni: the plea Komm occurs at the beginning as at the end.