Toni Castells - 04 Sheep Call - Hhumann X @ LSO St Luke's - 20 October 2018

Hhumann X is a thought-provoking composition for small chamber ensemble, electronics, two voices, and choir, which premiered at LSO St. Luke's on October 20, 2018. Drawing inspiration from the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, it explores the paradox of social isolation in an era of hyper-connectivity, where over 9 million adults in the UK report feeling lonely.

PROGRAMME NOTES

Humans face growing social isolation paradoxically during an era of technological hyper-connectedness. In the UK alone, more than 9 million people report feeling often or always lonely, according to a 2017 report by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

While modernization has brought unprecedented living standards, it has also coincided with soaring rates of anxiety and depression, especially in the Western world.

In Hhumann X, Toni Castells explores these contradictions through the haunting isolation of a high soprano singing in an invented language, stretching her voice to its most vulnerable register. This disconnection is met with the Eastern tones of Honey Rouhani, creating a bridge that guides the music toward a communal experience of connection. The piece urges us to build bridges — both between one another and within ourselves — embodying the mantra Soham ("I am That").

The composition also embraces Rumi’s powerful words:

"Do you know what you are?
You are a manuscript of a divine letter.
You are a mirror reflecting a noble face.
This universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself,
everything that you want, you are already that." - Rumi


CAST
Vanessa Bowers – Soprano
Honey Rouhani – Persian Soprano
More Than Just A Choir – Choir
David Phelops - Choir Director
José Menor – Piano
Harriet MacKenzie – Violin
Joe Zeitlin – Cello
James Barralet - Cello
Maria Pachón - Bastons
Jesus Baltà - Bastons
Laura Beck – Live Electronics
Elliott Liu – Live Electronics
Tereza Duchlevová – Video Documentation


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https://www.jocoxfoundation.org/2020/...

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