Blossomings

Blossomings was composed in 2016 for the BBC Singers, conductor Martyn Brabbins and trumpet virtuoso Marco Blaauw, as a tribute to the late English composer Jonathan Harvey.
He was profoundly involved with Buddhism and he frequently made a connection between his Christian background and Buddhism.
Wim Henderickx wanted to go one step further in this work and took texts from three different cultures and religions as a source of inspiration. The first text was written by Jigme Lingpa, an 18th century Tibetan Buddhist. The second is a text by Hildegard of Bingen, a medieval German monastic leader, mystic, author and composer, representing 12th century Roman Catholicism and the third is by Rumi, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic who represents 13th century Islam.
The music in this work was also inspired by these different eras and cultures.
In Blossomings (3 Prayers for a better World), Henderickx wanted to emphasise reconciliation and the beauty of different cultures.
To one side of the mixed choir a double-bell trumpet is commenting on and introducing parts of the texts. The sound of the trumpet can also be considered as a calling upon the master (Jonathan Harvey).
The (optional) electronics create a sonorous background to the harmonic material sung by the choir. This will give the work a spatial effect.
The work ends with the initial material from the third prayer, combined with a musical motif inspired by Jonathan Harvey’s name.