Paradisum

I just wrote a review saying that "I Love You" is my favorite David Hicken piece of the week. But the piece I come back to over and over, which I suppose makes it my favorite piece of all time, is "Paradisum". I played it recently in worship and got a lot of positive feedback. This piece flows so well, with so many interesting phrases, and it is a joy to play.

This must be heaven! A peaceful and soothing peace.

Such a nostalgic piece of art...It reminds me of my loved ones who have crossed the bridge of paradise. Everytime I listen to it, it soothes my heart. It's my honour to practice on it now. Thank you Mr Hicken for composing an absolute masterpiece.

I performed it today for our congregation and this beautiful piece made quite an impression. I tend to love all music but each piece has its own individual expression. What I can say about this piece is, I appreciated the nuanced phrasing inherent in it and the play of light & the symmetry of the phrases together with the hope of its continued modulation upwards. It tended to go better in performance than in practice. No one would have enjoyed my learning of it. I practiced it slow & it was kind of tedious & I felt not secure wondering how I would ever pull all the branches together to form a tree. But I felt totally different communicating the music in it than I did just attempting to learn it. With the right tempo this piece has a magic and really does speak to people….so I guess we can say it’s a really effective piece & I recommend it highly! a big THANK YOU to the composer!