Howard Goodall says he can only take so much credit for his work.
It comes to him from some source... a muse? A rush of hormones? The Divine? His role, as he explains it, is to capture what he hears in his mind, and write it down before it slips away.
When his work Eternal Light: A Requiem began to take shape, Goodall felt somewhat disconnected from the traditional text of the Mass for the Dead. The fire and brimstone of eternal damnation had already found a home in the music of Giuseppe Verdi, William Byrd had made a good case pleading for mercy... what about those of us who are left in the wake of grief after death? Alongside the traditional Latin text, Goodall weaves in more modern poetry about loss and acceptance, and considers the survivor's perspective.
Above, my conversation with composer, broadcaster, conductor and writer Howard Goodall on Eternal Light: A Requiem, on acting as a vessel, and on his hopes for the future of classical music.
Catch Eternal Light: A Requiem this weekend at Second Presbyterian Church, 3pm.
