Annunciation

Annunciation - for Tenor, Harp, and Strings 
Commissioned by Russell Thomas
Libretto by Josh Banbury

The year 2030 will mark 2000 years since the annunciation of The Virgin Mary. What would an annunciation look like in this new age? I believe this divine being could be conceived by a night of passion between men.“Annunciation” imagines the coming of a new deity, maturated by a beautiful young black man. In this song cycle, he recounts seven vignettes from his night of ecstasy with a mysterious and supernatural man. — Josh Banbury

Annunciation consists of a series of seven visions that capture a moment of ecstasy between the narrator (or singer)  and his lover. Each vision has its own vibe with textures that range from more transparent to thicker moments which symbolize higher points of passion. The cello plays the part of the singer’s lover throughout, first appearing noticeably to the audience with a series of ascending trills, “Into my room, he reascends…” Of particular note is Vision Five when the voice and cello are in unison, this time, with the narrator singing the words of his partner (the cello). — Damien Geter

                        ca. 15 min