The Divine Paradox: Of Human Beings in Paradise

A composition for massed community choirs, saxophone, percussion/electronics and double bass by the composer/saxophonist Andy Sheppard in conjunction with Gathering Voices. The piece is in seven parts and reflects upon the human condition and potentially devastating effects human society is having on planet Earth. The libretto draws on various observations and speeches made by Frank Lloyd Wright, Martin Luther King and Vandana Shiva with quotes from the books of Genesis and Revelations, T S Elliot’s ‘The Wasteland’ and John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.

There are also words and ideas developed in workshops with the pupils of local schools.

The piece is a vibrant thought-provoking voyage through melody, groove and improvisation; both disturbing and uplifting, pessimistic and optimistic – a paradox divine.