The wonders of The Wander Life
In 2010, I was waging an inner war against music´s power over me. On St. Cecilia´s day, I wrote two poems to the patron saint of music and musicians, which expressed the contradictions I was living in those days.
In December last year, I got an unusual email through this website. Paul Stanhope, an acclaimed Australian composer, wanted to set one of my St. Cecilia poems to music. After hearing some of his wonderful music on the web, I was really excited.
My poem was never meant to be a song, and I was amazed when Paul told me he would use the lyrics exactly as they were. When musicians set a text to music, most of the times, changes have to be made, to make the words fit some preordained musical form, but Paul told me he had managed to work my words into his music without changing anything.
Being completely reconciled with Saint Cecilia, with my love of music intact, I was curious to hear the result. Paul sent me an email after the first performance. He said the young choir members had really liked the lyrics, but there was no recording for me to listen to as yet. This, of course, made me even more curious.
Last night, Paul sent me an mp3 from a performance at St. John´s College, Cambridge.
It is only seldom that an artist can collaborate with another one and feel that both visions have come together in complete harmony. I could never have imagined Paul´s beautiful music, but, somehow, I felt that the emotions it expressed were completely aligned with everything that was alive in that poem for me.
I am so honored by Paul´s interest in my work, I feel so blessed that I got to be part of his heavenly music.
Music transforms everything, its power knows no boundaries, and I am no longer afraid of it. I just hope that I can work with Paul again sometime. He is quite simply one of the most fabulous contemporary composers I have ever heard.
I hope this music can make you as happy as it made me.
Thank you, Paul!