Cecilia McDowell Da Vinci Requiem, Seventy Degrees Below Zero

"Da Vinci Requiem brings together my chosen Latin texts from the Missa pro Defunctis with extracts from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, and is structured in seven movements in the shape of an arch... It has been a fascinating exploration, aligning Leonardo's extraordinary insights, both artistic and philosophical, with such a profound and ancient text. Seventy degrees below zero is a three-movement work for chamber orchestra and tenor soloist. [Inspired by work carried out by the Scott Polar Research Institute], the phrase for the title was taken from Scott's Letter to his wife: 'Dear, it is not easy to write because of the cold – 70 degrees below zero'. The scientific exploration and data collected by Captain Scott's team at the beginning of the 20th century still powerfully underlies the research which continues to this day. It was with a desire to join the past with the present that I asked the poet, Seán Street, to write two poems to accompany Scott's words: words from 'then' and words from 'now'." - Cecilia McDowall Ausgezeichnete britische Komponistin, besonders bekannt für ihre Chorkomposition. Eine der beliebtesten lebenden Komponisten, 2022 auf Platz 15 der Liste der meistaufgeführten lebenden Komponisten der Welt eingestuft und die beliebteste britische Komponistin (Bachtrack Classical Music Statistics 2022). Ihre Musik wird von führenden Chören in Auftrag gegeben und aufgeführt, und ihre Werke werden regelmäßig auf BBC Radio 3 ausgestrahlt.