the body remembers a heart held [Sinfonietta Ensemble, 2025]
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£999.99
Details
Sinfonietta Ensemble[1(=A.Fl.).0.1.1 - 1.1.1.1 - 2perc. - hp - Strings (1.0.1.1.1)]
2025
11'
About this work
Inspired in part by e.e. cummings’ poem ‘I carry your heart’, ‘the body remembers a heart held’ is a reflection on the transformation of identity through motherhood; the undoing and reforming, the complex balance of joy, loss, resilience, and renewal.At the heart of the work lies the scientific phenomenon of fetal microchimerism; the discovery that during pregnancy, cells from the baby cross the placenta and embed themselves within the mother’s body, often remaining there permanently. It serves as a powerful and poignant reminder of the complexity of maternal identity: No longer is the mother solely herself, her body literally carries her children’s genetic material (born and unborn).
Written for a sinfonietta ensemble, ‘the body remembers a heart held’ explores the fragility and intimacy of chamber textures, using woozy harmonies and a shifting, dreamlike pacing, reflecting the emotional haze and disorientation of identity in early motherhood. While moments of warmth and clarity emerge, the music also acknowledges the presence of unspoken losses and the quieter aspects of maternal experience.
At its core, ‘the body remembers a heart held’ is a reflection on rediscovery: what it means to reassemble oneself after profound change(s); a return to softness, strength, and a sense of self in the shifting landscape of motherhood.
‘The body remembers a heart held’ was commissioned by the Philharmonia through their Composers Academy 2024-25 programme, and first performed by the Philharmonia (conducted by James Murray) at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London on 11 June 2025.
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