Bibiel Hears Things: Anna Lapwood – “This Shining Night”

Hey people! Today I thought I’d share with you a really stunning, celestial solo organ piece. It is a prelude, written by a very young British composer, Christopher Churcher. He composed this for organist Tom Bell in 2023. The composition takes its title from James Agee’s poem “Sure On This Shining Night”, the same poem which was set to music by Samuel Barber a few years after its publishing. According to the composer, the piece is inspired by the experience of slowly discovering the night sky. It begins with delicate, shimmering chords that sound like stars gradually appearing out of the darkness, and grows into something much more powerful, intense and grand, resembling the sheer, overwhelming vastness of the cosmos. Being blind, I’ve never seen the sky, at night or otherwise, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it looked just like this piece sounds. Makes me understand why some people love to stargaze so much. I suppose I would, too. The rendition of it I’m sharing is played by…