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10 The Flight was commissioned by King’s College and was first performed as part of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, directed by Stephen Cleobury on Christmas Eve 2015. It is a setting of a poem written especially for the occasion by George Szirtes. Performance notes The Flight intersperses a series of animated canons of increasing complexity with a gentle refrain of a different and profoundly calm, expressive colour. For the canonic sections, the slower versions of the melody should be accented s p/s f p (as marked) to allow the faster parts to be heard as clearly as possible through the texture. Conventional accents (è) in these parts denote a greater degree of accentuation. The faster parts of the canon should be rhythmic and detached, with lots of consonants. Although they begin on different beats of the bar, this should in no way influence the way they are accented. for online perusal only The piece includes two solo optional soprano parts which may, if desired, be sung from a position remote from the rest of the choir. If these parts are omitted, bars 110–20 should be replaced with a single, long general pause bar. The Flight The child on the dirtpath finds the highway blocked The dogs at the entrance snarl that doors are locked The great god of kindness has his kindness mocked May those who travel light Find shelter on the flight: May Bethlehem Give rest to them. The sea is a graveyard the beach is dry bones the child at the station is pelted with stones the cop stands impassive the ambulance drones May those who travel light Find shelter on the flight: May Bethlehem Give rest to them. We sleep then awaken we rest on the way our sleep might be troubled but hope is our day we move on for ever like children astray We move on for ever our feet leave no mark you won’t hear our voices once we’re in the dark But here is our fire this Child is our spark May those who travel light Find shelter on the flight: May Bethlehem Give rest to them. George Szirtes (b. 1948)
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