Humanity - Silouans Song 

Silouans Song is an instrumental work based upon a 'silent text'. This itself is meta, on the basis that songs are meant to be sung yet the text is silent so how can it possibly be a song (an infinite loop)? Pärt amplifies the silent text through the sound of strings and surprisingly Pärt only wrote this work for strings - there is no choral arrangement. However, the homogenous string sound that mimics the sensitive articulation of liturgical recitation is central to the piece. 

As a conductor, the biggest consideration in this work is the use of silences. Pärt describes the silence and anticipation that precedes music by using the analogy of an upbeat:

"I imagine the conductor having an upbeat, when the whole thing starts. [This] actually contains the formula of the entire work. Its character, dynamics, tempo, and plenty of other things....I guess the composer is in a similar position before he starts writing."[1]

The transition between the stillness at the beginning and the production of the ppp dynamic is challenging. I fully agree with Pärt's statement - for example the dynamic I set at the start prepares the players for what the pppp dynamic would sound like later and the stark contrast of the fff. I made an extra effort to stay very still in my stance and focused the clarity in my baton technique throughout this work. While I would have liked to have shown a true pppp dynamic at Bar 36 in my gestures, the encouragement of the sound was of higher priority - where the players may have felt nervous with such an isolated entry.

The use of G.P bars throughout this work was carefully noted. In this work, the time signatures gave clues to the length I should hold them for and that not all of them should be treated equally. For example, the 6/4 G.P bar in the end should be the longest pause in the work. Also, in Bar 57, there are various recordings that vary the importance of the high C whether it should blend or stick through the texture. The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra decide to blend at the start and eventually push it through (4:20-4:37). I decided to emphasise this from the beginning- not only does it feel like clinging onto every last glimpse of hope but the 'Largo' marking to me gives the impression of entering into another meta-dimension beyond humanity.

On other conducting points, I made the decision early on to use the baton. Personally, in a work like this, the baton wouldn't be necessary due to the choral-like crotchet movements however with the limited rehearsal time and the risk of the orchestra not responding to the gestures of the extreme dynamics, I figured it would be best to use one. Finally, throughout the delicate work I made it clear to the orchestra of practicalities such as page turning and 'rest position'. None of the players moved into rest position throughout this work to prevent any disturbance to the silences, a decision that was highly effective. 

In terms of the recording, I made my intention clear to the film-producers that a lighting set that amplifies the church setting would be most appropriate with this piece. In addition, fitting in with the meta theme, the video should provide different perspectives across the orchestra rather than just the central figure of me as the conductor. You will also notice in the recording there is a lot of breathing from the conductor's perspective. This was deliberate, to not only create an intimate performance but to give a sense of unity between instruments, players, conductor and the spiritual levels of god. Pärt describes breathing in his works as a "chain, in which breathing in and breathing out is interwoven like hope and despair"[2] and is also carefully considered in other works such as Miserere.

On reflection, the lighting is exactly what I wanted in terms of emitting the ethereal quality this piece requires. The microphones were unfortunately positioned too close to the cellos, thus resulting in some distortion issues in the louder sections of the works. A cleaner recording without this issue is available to download above. I was impressed by everyone's collaborative efforts, given the minimal rehearsal time due to COVID, they responded well to my gestures and there was a real sense of community spirit throughout rehearsals and recording sessions. I was very open to advice from peers about my clarity and intentions of the piece. Finally, I would have liked the recording to start a little earlier and finish later to capture the essence of the silences as this gives the listener a chance to reflect and tune-in into the various meta-layers of spirituality. 

[1] Bouteneff, P., Engelhardt, J. and Saler, R., (2020) Arvo Pärt- Sounding the Sacred P31

[2] Bouteneff, P., Engelhardt, J. and Saler, R., (2020) Arvo Pärt- Sounding the Sacred P117

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