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This is a two-movement choral work, each movement a setting of one of WB Yeats’ so-called ‘Apocalyptic’ poems, which were inspired by sources as various as Theosophy and the writings of William Blake. Some of these poems, like 'He mourns for the change…', have their roots in mythology – Irish, Christian, English – and famous ‘journey’ legends such as those of Arthur and Oisín. Others such as 'The Second Coming', written just after the First World War, have clear resonances with what was happening socially and politically at the time. The language of these poems is by turns dark, pessimistic and strange, evoking unsettling, even nightmarish scenes.
The principal attraction of these poems for me lies as much in the language as the subject matter, although together those elements create very striking imagery which I was excited to set to music. I hoped that these wild and vivid images would lead me towards music which could somehow reflect the drama and awe with which Yeats imbues his visions.
I: He mourns for the change that has come upon him and his beloved, and longs for the end of the world
II: The Second Coming
'Slouching towards Bethlehem' was commissioned by the 2015 Cork International Choral Festival for Chamber Choir Ireland with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland.