Advent Retreat 2024

Expectation Part I: The Appian Way

WHAT would Jaws or Psycho be without their iconic soundtracks? This segment explores how music builds tension and anticipation, drawing us into moments of unease and forward motion.

Listen to Respighi: Pines of Rome, P. 141: IV. I pini della Via Appia

Reflection: The Appian Way

Following Respighi’s Pines of Rome, this reflection invites you to consider how the music shaped your experience.

Expectation Part II: The Surprise Symphony

HOW do our minds respond to the unexpected in music? This section delves into the way patterns, disruptions, and surprises shape our emotional and physical reactions. Featuring Haydn’s famous Surprise Symphony, listeners are invited to reflect on how moments of unpredictability in music—and life—can bring both joy and unease, challenging our expectations and assumptions.

Listen to Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob. I:94 "Surprise": II. Andante

Reflection: Haydn’s Surprise

What happens when a single moment changes the way we experience everything that follows? In this reflection, we consider the unexpected in Haydn’s Surprise Symphony—a sudden jolt that leaves us on edge for what might come next.

Expectation Part III: Ligeti’s Musica ricercata

WHAT happens when music defies our expectations—not just with a sudden jolt, but in the way it concludes? Featuring György Ligeti’s Musica ricercata, this section explores how a single pitch evolves through intricate rhythms and tonal layers toward a surprising and thought-provoking ending.

Listen to Ligeti: Musica ricercata: I. Sostenuto. Misurato. Prestissimo

Reflection: Ligeti’s Musica ricercata

Ligeti’s Musica ricercata ends with a surprising shift. How does this reshape the piece?

Waiting: 4′33″

WHAT does it mean to wait? This segment begins with reflections on Dusty Springfield’s Wishin’ and Hopin’ and moves into an exploration of waiting as a profound and often uncomfortable experience.

Listen to John Cage: 4′33″

Reflection: Waiting and Silence

John Cage’s 4′33″ challenged audiences from its very first performance, hailed by some as genius and dismissed by others as pretentious. In this segment, listeners are invited to consider the role of silence in music—not as absence, but as presence.

Anticipation Part I: John Adams’ Shaker Loops

MUSIC has a way of building anticipation, drawing us into patterns, pauses, and moments of suspense. This segment explores how composers create tension. John Adams’ Shaker Loops invites listeners to reflect on how music keeps us on the brink, waiting for what comes next.

Listen to John Adams: Shaker Loops: I. Shaking and Trembling

Anticipation Part II: Carly Simon

CARLY Simon’s Anticipation explores the tension of waiting through its rhythm, melody, and lingering hesitation.

Listen to Carly Simon: Anticipation

Reflection: Carly Simon’s Anticipation

What does it mean to live in the moment while waiting for what’s next? This reflection on Carly Simon’s Anticipation explores her powerful message: “These are the good old days.”

Conclusion

AS the retreat concludes, Advent invites us to embrace the in-between—the unresolved moments where questions linger and possibilities unfold, shaping our journey as God’s work continues.