Monday, February 14, 2011

Choir Practice

Choir practice recorded in Durham Cathedral on my audio recorder. It settles down after a minute or so when I take my seat. This is in WMA format, I can't translate it to others while I'm traveling. When I was an undergraduate here, 20 years ago, I didn't spend much time in the cathedral; too busy. The other day, though, I spent half an hour at the crypt of St. Cuthbert and another half at the crypt of St. Bede, the two at opposite ends of the 1,000-year old cathedral.

The cold and dark atmosphere, with a glint of gold here and there, stone underfoot, a candle in a blood-red glass...I remembered a lot of this, deep down from so many cathedrals visited over the years, and here I realized this cavernous space and atmosphere are deep in my bones. They soaked in a long time ago. It seems I have been carrying the essence of this cold, darkling and immense void for a long time, somehow, inside, and I have sought to replicate it while exploring the world outside. It is not entirely welcoming in any conventional sense, but it is in some way home.

Link to WMA audio file.

1 comment:

Jacuzzi Weather said...

Listening now, amazing! Thanks for posting.