Stringpack. Par CURNOW JAMES. FANFARE PRELUDE: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST is based on the hymn-tune “St. Anne, ” which was used by G. F. Handel in the Chandos anthem “O Praise the Lord, ” and by J. S. Bach in his triple fugue in E-flat “The St. Anne Fugue. ” James Curnow’s FANFARE PRELUDE: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST captures the thoughts of this magnificent hymn, which speaks of our country’s reliance upon God. The unusual 4/4 meter setting with artfully crafted re-harmonizations and lush counterpoint gives each listener cause to reflect on the importance and meaning of this melody to patriotic Americans everywhere. Inspired! / Niveau : 4 / Hymnes et chorals / Répertoire / Ensemble

The title refers to a Moroccan desert wind, but it was less a figurative association than merely the sound of the word that fascinated Johannes Boris Borowski. The lengthy one-movement work reveals the formal skills and the imagination of the composer born in 1979: A rhythmized melodic cell evolves into a construct with its very own structure, motivic-thematic work leads to two-dimensional sounds and eventually returns to the sparseness of the beginning. Chergui was commissioned by the state of Berlin and premiered at the festival Ultraschall in January 2013. The performance with the Ensemble Interface under the direction of Scott Voyles has been recorded and released on CD by Wergo. / Ensemble