The Drop That Contained The Sea

The Drop That Contained The Sea:

In 2014, York’s Prima Vocal Ensemble performed the World Premiere of the epic song cycle "The Drop That Contained The Sea" by two time Grammy winning composer Christopher Tin at Carnegie Hall.

This year our very own city becomes the stage for the European Premiere of this glorious suite, as Prima are joined by Angel City Chorale from Los Angeles, the Mowbray Orchestra, exceptional international soloists and the multi award winning composer himself!

Christopher Tin's sound has astounded global audiences. Reaching across and beyond genre, this is an unmissable highlight for fans of a powerful choral and orchestral sound, devotees of computer game soundtracks and aficionados of world music alike.

The evening also features Baba Yetu (from Civilisation IV) and other songs from Tin's award winning "Calling all Dawns", with additional music by Aaron Copland, Toto and Randy Newman.

For those who like their classical music to pack an emotional punch, Christopher Tin holds nothing back with a sound that "joyfully suggests the cradle of life itself" - The Guardian

"... a great soundtrack... rousing, anthemic" - Time Magazine

"... a musical milestone for the video game industry... the first time that video game music has ever been awarded a Grammy." - Wall Street Journal

"Hands down, I can say now... nothing will touch it. This wave stands taller than the rest. Stunning." - Higher Plain Music

About the work:

The Drop That Contained the Sea is a collection of commissioned works, reimagined and arranged for chorus and orchestra. Each of the 10 pieces is sung in a different language, exploring a different vocal tradition. Each piece also deals with water in a different form, arranged in the order that water flows through the world: melting snow, mountain streams, rivers, the ocean, and so forth. And like my last album Calling All Dawns, the end of the album flows back into the beginning, reflecting the endless nature of the water cycle. 

 
Finally, the title The Drop That Contained the Sea comes from a Sufi concept: in the same way that every drop of water contains the essence of the sea, inside every human is the essence of all of humanity. In keeping with this idea I've introduced a water theme in the prelude, and woven subtle variations throughout the album. It contains all seven notes of a major scale-four descending and three ascending-mirroring the flow of water through our world, and representing the vast ocean of melodic possibility contained within a single scale. 
 
- Christopher Tin

The concert supports York charity Jessie’s Fund, which help children through music. http://www.jessiesfund.org.uk

http://www.christophertin.com

http://www.pimachoralartist.scom

http://www.angelcitychorale.org