Project Description
Alleluia was the result of a disturbed night’s sleep, full of creative ideas, during the Helsinki winter. As part of my Churchill Fellowship, I had experienced the privilege of attending rehearsals and workshopping with the world-renowned Tapiola Children’s Choir under the direction of Kari Ala-Pöllänen. My experiences left me brimming with new ideas.
A sweeping soprano solo freely announces the theme, joined by the choir in octaves, leading to an a tempo section where the theme and motives are presented in canon. A ritmico middle section treats the title word in several ways by displacing the word accents and adding body percussion. This section builds to a dramatic climax with a descant soaring over the rhythmically intense choral texture along with a further frenzy of joyous alleluia accelerando to the grand pause. The music then turns full circle with a repeat of the opening solo and choral section.
This is a challenging but rewarding piece!
Score sample
