|
|
St. John of the Cross Church, Ta' Xbiex
Improvisations for Holy Week
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Aquilina plays the two manual and pedal, 24 stop, 1967 Seifert Orgelbau organ in the St. John of the Cross Church, Ta' Xbiex, Malta.
Early in 2006, Benjamin Zammit had the idea of an improvisation concert on the Passion as part of the Holy Week celebrations organised by the Discalced Carmelite Community at St. John of the Cross Church, Ta’ Xbiex. The tracks below have been recorded live during the spiritual concert on Thursday, 6th April 2006, which was entitled “F’Idejk Jien Nerhi Ruhi” (“Into thy hands I commend my spirit”).
The improvised organ meditations were based on verses from the New Testament chosen by John Aquilina. The images from the Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of the Christ” which were projected during the concert, complement these verses and acted as a backdrop to the improvised music. This was the first time that such an event was being organised in Malta. All of the meditations are a reflection on the selected text and the still images taken from the film. All tracks have been recorded in one take.
All files are 96kbps MP3Pro format. File sizes vary between 2.5 and 8.5Mb. Download times may vary according to Internet connection speeds.
Total playing time: 1 hour, 8 minutes. (c) 2006 John Aquilina.
 Meditation 1 - The Last Supper [7'38]
Christ institutes the sacrament of Holy Communion and commands the Apostles to love one another.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John, 13:34). A sense of general calm and mystery surrounds this central moment of our faith. It speaks of the love between Jesus and his disciples. The meditation is based on the Pange Lingua plainchant. The hymn “Jien ser naghtikhom kmandament gdid” is introduced with a canon and subsequently sung by the choir.
He suffers in Gethsemane. “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” (Matthew, 26:36); “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke, 22:44); “…this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Luke, 22:53).
A dark and menacing meditation which is essentially about Christ’s invocations which evokes Christ’s turmoil of his impending suffering and crucifixion which ends on a note of resignation. This improvisation is based on Messiaen’s modes 3 and 2. The Passion Chorale “Fi Kristu l-mahfra” is then sung.
Jesus is examined and maltreated — He is arraigned and condemned before Pilate — He is scourged. “And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.” (Matthew, 26:47); “And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled.” (Mark, 15:4-5); “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.” (John, 19:1).
A three-movement meditation conveying the agitation created when Jesus is betrayed and arrested. A fanfare heralds Pontius Pilate contrasted by brief periods of silence representing Pilate’s unanswered questions. In the final part, rapid passages imitate the scourges afflicted on Christ. The hymn “Gesu tieghi” follows.
”Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.” (John, 19:5-6).
The initial feeling of pity when Jesus is presented to the crowd transforms itself into a violent, accelerating frenzy of the crowd’s acclamations. “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.” (John, 19:17).
The slow march depicts Christ’s breathlessness under the burden of the heavy cross interlaced with the three falls on the way to Calvary. A quiet moment is introduced when Jesus meets his mother. It is followed by the hymn “O Gesu ta’ l-akbar hniena”. 
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke, 23:34). A tense, fast movement to represent the dispassionate nailing of Christ to the cross by the Roman soldiers. It is subsequently followed by a hymn “It-tama taghna fis-salib ta’ Kristu”. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew, 27:45-46); “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” (Luke, 23:46). Feelings of agony leading to Christ’s last exasperating breath. A drone in the pedal emulates the impending earthquake. “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother.” (John, 19:25). A short period of silence is followed by quiet variations on the Stabat Mater plainchant, followed by the Gregorian chant, “Wieqfa kienet imbikkija”. “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.” (John, 20:1-2); “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” (John: 20:19-20). It is a new dawn after this tragic event. As the movement unfolds, an increasing sense of excitement fills the Apostles. On discovering that Christ has truly risen, the Apostles are overtaken by exuberant boundless joy. The music also aims to encapsulate the power and energy of the resurrection quoting Lumen Christi and Alleluia.
|
|