Professor Shirley Thompson OBE, Composer and Professor of Music, has composed orchestral music for the ‘Song of the Prophets: A Requiem for the Climate’ which will premiere on 9 June.
'Song of the Prophets: A Requiem for the Climate' is a 12-minute orchestral work in four movements – 'Creation', 'Ruin', 'Recovery' and 'Redemption', each of which is composed by individual composers of African-Caribbean British heritage. Professor Thompson was selected to compose the 'Recovery' movement. Other composers, include Roderick Williams OBE, Daniel Kidane and Ayanna Witter-Johnson.
In 'Recovery', Professor Thompson reflects on the recovery efforts made to clear landslides in the West Pokot County of Kenya in 2019, where at least 132 people were killed by floods and landslides caused by unusually heavy rainfall. In addition, tens of thousands of Kenyans have been displaced by these kinds of weather conditions. The piece contemplates the help and aid that was central to assisting the afflicted to recover from the devastations of the natural disaster, and also reflects on the stoicism of the Kenyans affected by the floods in restoring their lives.
During the performance at the virtual concert on 9 June, attendees will see interludes from three musicians playing national instruments from countries that are suffering the most during the climate crisis. Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno performs the nyatiti, a five to eight-stringed plucked bowl yoke lute from Kenya; Renu Hossain from Bangladesh performs the table, and Richard Olatunde Baker performs the talking drum, an hourglass-shaped drum which is native to west African countries such as Nigeria.
The 12-minute piece was inspired by the paper entitled 'Song of the Prophets: a global theology of climate change' which was released by Christian Aid in 2014 and was republished in May 2020. Professor Thompson has had many successes in her artistic career to date, from being the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony in the last 40 years to being named in the Top Ten of the Powerlist of the Most Influential People of African, African Caribbean and African American Heritage from 2010 – 2021.
Talking about composing the piece for the event, Professor Shirley Thompson said: “It was an absolute honour and a pleasure to work with the exciting Chineke Orchestra, and especially to highlight a profoundly important global issue. I have always believed in the power of the arts to bring attention to social and political issues in order to bring about necessary change and felt strongly connected to the concept of 'Song of the Prophets'.”
Find out more about the event on the Christian Aid website.
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