Joseph Harrington
1 sound
“Columns” is meant to accompany visitors as they chronologically traverse Philip Rickey’s “Life of Christ/Cycle of Life” series. Through its rich acoustic layerings and dynamic tempo, listeners will experience secular and religious connections between the folk driven sonic textures and the exhibit. Apart from auditorily depicting the basalt columns as a series of ancient ruins, making reference to the structures in their prime and in the present, the piece similarly highlights four key stages of Jesus’ life with varying levels of intensity and melodic cohesion: the nativity, His teachings, the passion, and His resurrection. After “Columns” inconclusively ends with an ambiguous series of chords, listeners are left to interpret the ruins and the mysteries of faith for themselves.
