PROGRAM NOTES ERROLLYN WALLEN born: April 10, 1958 in Belize
Mighty River (2007) premiere: February 24, 2007 in London Mighty River, an orchestral work by British composer Errollyn Wallen, was commissioned by the Rector and PPC of Holy Trinity Clapham Common and the Reverend John Wates. The work premiered at London’s Holy Trinity Church as part of a concert commemorating the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act passed by British Parliament on 25 March 1807. The wife of Rev. John Wates is a direct descendant of William Wilberforce (17591833), a politician, and member of the Abolitionists movement whose efforts led to the repeal of the Slave Trade Act. The Abolitionists often met at Holy Trinity Church. As Wallen observed: “I knew this was not going to be a normal concert, it would really be a gathering of people together, to remember this historic event — a historical occasion for reflection.”
Wallen dedicated Mighty River to her great-great-great-great-great-greatgrandmother: “Though I never knew her, I am driven on by her courage in the face of dreadful odds and am inspired by her example not merely to survive, but to thrive.” Mighty River opens with the horn’s invocation of “Amazing Grace.” That beloved hymn returns throughout the work, alongside quotations of various other spirituals. Repeated motifs portray the irrepressible energy of the flowing river, and yearning for freedom. All of these elements are embodied in a work notable for its glowing and transparent orchestration.
Wallen’s love for waterways inspired her to view the rivers’ inexorable flow as a metaphor for “the relentlessness of the pursuit of freedom...It is an innate human instinct to be free, just as it is a law of nature that the river should rush headlong to the sea. That is the concept behind Mighty River.”
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer 18 program notes
