The
Canterbury Chorale is a dramatically rich,
sonorous, and absolutely brilliant piece of
music written by
Jan van der Roost. It begins quietly with the
woodwinds, developing into a sort of
ethereal lullaby. After the introduction come numerous beautiful
solos for
horn, alto
sax, and
flute among others. The solos seem flow from one
section to the next like waves in the
ocean (or for the more
technically minded,
energy over a
superconductor) until the whole
orchestra comes together in a dramatic and tantalizing
passage leading to the
climax. After dying down to a few woodwinds and
brass, every
musician joins in a
heroic seven
chord progression which is moving beyond
words. Slowly fading, another group of soloists take over and lay us back down to our
earthly bed with a tranquil and gentle ending.
Written as a chorale, this piece was meant to sound like a group of vocalists singing in a sort of Gregorian manner. The effect this creates with a concert band is simply stunning if done right.
Canterbury Chorale was written shortly after van der Roost's visit to the cathedral at Canterbury, England. It must be one amazing place.