Alpha et Omega was commissioned for the festival of Pentecost by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona. Pentecost is a highly mystical event on the Christian calendar that commemorates the disciples’ “speaking in tongues” as they are overwhelmed with the spirit of God. Despite the eerie and even frightening nature of the event, in many ways it represents the happy ending of the human struggle: humanity is reunited with the divine after eons of separation that began with Adam. Alpha et Omega is an abstract depiction of both facets of Pentecost. The tape is constructed with samples, electronic materials (created by Super Collider), and voices from fifteen different languages. Yet out of this chaotic texture, order and peace slowly emerge as the text moves through different biblical passages of humankind’s separation from God before ending finally with the final promise from the book of Revelations that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

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