Today is the 2009 winter solstice , aka shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, aka the actual start of winter. For all of you pagans at heart, it marks a symbolic journey from the transition of darkness into light and is a time of rebirth. While I am stuck working a late shift tonight, leaving little time for human sacrifice or any milder form of ritualistic celebration, I am hoping to at least bask in this darkness during a long, though inevitably crowded walk back to the subway in the semi-newly, now muddled, fallen snow.
My mother and I were, however, able to celebrate this past Thursday, attending Paul Winter's 30th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Honestly, what better place to revel in the ominous yet mystical sentiment induced by this side of the globe's longest night? Winter himself notes that there are only two places in this country where "all-embracing vastness overwhelms our differences": the Grand Canyon and the Cathedral."
The celebration was a highly instrumental, highly symbolic event preluded by Winter, resident artist of the Cathedral, wailing a wolf call on his soprano sax in a cove sitting beneath the Rose window. This was followed by echoing percussion and darkness (kind of creepy, actually), along with some other tribalesque effects. Eventually, Winter "magically" appeared on the centrally placed stage, playing in a more jovial key. From here the musical trek commenced.
Special guests included the Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble from Russia, a vocal group founded on continuing the traditions of ancient folk songs and rituals, and the Forces of Nature Dance Theater, rooted in West African dance tradition. The latter was the favorite of both my mother and I, as their performance was full of color, rhythm and constant, frenzied movement. Musical pieces throughout the show featured Winter, accompanied by the Paul Winter Consort , as well as soloists on cello, English horn and percussion.
Paul Winter's Living Music infuses human art with that of the raw material from which everything is mimicked, nature. For a portion of the show, the audience is taken on a symbolic journey through the planet's darkest night, setting sail with the Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble, as they float down the aisle in a golden boat, a tradition taking root in ancient Slavic belief. (To them, the sun was a golden boat, sailing beneath the Earth.) Playing on speakers throughout are sounds from around the world, including whale song, a storming rainforest, a lone wolf. The journey ends with the rising of the sun, or the "sun gong" played by Grammy-winning sun gong-ist (who knew?) Scott Sloan. As he and the reverberating disk are lifted up in the anticipating air, warm orange light begins to stretch back over the audience and the domed arches above. This is definitely a sight to behold, and only possible in this extraordinary space.
While the final showing of the festival was on Saturday, New York Public Radio (93.9 FM) will be airing last year's solstice celebration at 8:00 PM on December 31st. And, for those of you truly dedicated to sun worship, the Paul Winter Consort will be back at the cathedral Saturday, June 19 for the Summer Solstice. This show starts at 4:30 AM. As Winter notes, "Our music begins in total darkness, and proceeds in a continuum, emanating from different places in the Cathedral. Gradually, as the great stained-glass windows slowly illuminate, the light joins the sound to carry us into the full dawning of the summer."
Sounds pretty amazing if you can bear the ungodly hour.
Also, here are some links to clips from past year solstice celebrations at the Cathedral. Perhaps it will tempt you to partake next year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J1OdqgsmE4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEdh2jXDe5I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEdh2jXDe5I
PHOTO CREDITS:
Diagram of winter solstice was taken from www.crystalinks.com/ wintersolstice.htm
Photo of Paul winter playing and Cathedral Sunrise was taken from wnyc.org, copyright 1996 and 2002, Jeff Day.
1 comments:
on the longest night of the year, you are a shining light of inspiration.
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