The cycle of Rihards Dubra’s piano works “Crossroad Visions. Light” is a monumental and at the same time deeply personal message about Christ’s Way of the Cross, an impressive concert piece and an unforgettable spiritual pilgrimage at the same time. The Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, is based on an ancient Christian tradition, which was mentioned as early as the 5th century — this is the road in Jerusalem that Jesus Christ had to walk from the place where Pontius Pilate delivered him for crucifixion to Calvary. Over time, various stops were marked on this road, where pilgrims could meditate on what Christ went through. In the 17th century, the number of stops was 14, and it has remained so until today, sometimes adding a fifteenth stop – the Resurrection, without which Christ’s death on the cross would be meaningless.
Rihards Dubra’s 15-part cycle expands the traditional story of the Way of the Cross to include a significant theological interpretation of the events of Good Friday. In the meantime the only words in this cycle are the capacious names of the parts, and all the rest of the weight of the message is expressed directly through musical symbolism, including a very clear antithetical language.
The composer reveals – “I don’t want to literally depict what is said in the biblical text, but to express my momentary feelings about what arises in my imagination when reading one or another passage of Scripture. They are like the fourteen visions that have arisen as a result of the senses affected by the reading. And these moments begin much earlier than in the Liturgy of the Cross – these visions begin already in the description of the Garden of Gethsemane – I have always had the feeling that what happened there is extremely important, that we may be missing something that is one of the most important things in the victory over evil that this victory ALREADY BEGINS right there. I thought it was important to also try to show the moment when evil dies. And anyway, this is all a story about Victory. For the victory of Absolute LOVE, hence the fifteenth vision”.
Approximate concert duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
