Into His Countenance (flute and string orchestra) – Live Performance

The Bourbaki Ensemble David Angell, conductor Amanda Muir, flute Performance date : August 2nd, 2009 I wrote this piece during the immediate weeks following my mother’s passing, mostly out of the belief that if I could give to her noble and courageous life a profile through my music, I would have my profile too. Her medical history was long and debilitating. She had first undergone surgery in the 1950s to have part of her thyroid removed. In the early 70s she underwent a hysterectomy. Ten years later she lost a kidney to cancer. Then came Parkinson’s Disease and Osteoporosis. In 2004 she lost her other kidney to cancer and then in June 2005 her life to multiple tumors in her liver and lungs. She never complained. “Into His Countenance” represents my mother’s soul moving towards the countenance of God. During the last days of her life, something was happening, something beyond life as we know it was preparing her way. The night before she died, I whispered into her ear a promise that I would see to it she would not be forgotten. I do something every day to honour the memory of her quietly courageous life. Please visit the Tribute Pages of my website – www.phillipwilcher.com – where you will find a tribute to her life titled “An Unforgettable Joy” Mum : I will never forget you. I love you! The year 2005 proved to be very difficult for me. I had also lost my beloved mentor and friend, the composer Miriam Hyde. You can also read about Miriam by visiting the same Tribute Pages …