Grammy-winning Composer Eric Whitacre Releases New Album: Eternity In An Hour

On Oct. 23, Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, will release a new album for choir, cello, piano and live electronics called Eternity in an Hour via Decca Records. This is one of Whitacre’s most ambitious projects yet, featuring an hour-long multi-movement work based on the William Blake poem, The Auguries of Innocence. Additionally, the 2 CD and digital editions feature a reworking of the piece (also called The Auguries of Innocence) that has contributions from Saxophonist Jess Gillam as well as several ambient artists.

Whitacre’s Eternity in an Hour expands upon the first four lines of Blake’s poem:

To see the World in a Grain of Sand

And Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your Hand

And Eternity in an Hour.

Whitacre expands these four lines across eight continuous movements, each drawing its lyrics from portions of the text. “I decided to take those four lines and see if I could create an hour-long piece that was a journey deeper and deeper into that grain of sand,” says Whitacre. “Even in the simple there is perfection.”

Whitacre recently spoke with Classical Music host, Matt Jackfert, about his project. In the interview, Whitacre gives us an overview of the album, including why the poem has stuck with him for much of his life. He also discusses his use of his grandmother’s piano throughout the recording as well as his ambitious use of live synthesizers and processing, using effects like granulation to transform live audio into individual grains. 

Whitacre also discusses the weight of the fifth movement, “Hold Infinity,” where the bass is held for the entire movement, creating a sensation that time itself has stopped. In it, Whitacre​ incorporates audio from his visit to his father’s gravesite in the Nevada high desert foothills. Whitacre slows down the recording of his footsteps on the gravel near the gravesite to make them sound almost seismic. The weight is palpable throughout that movement, and Whitacre says he always thinks of his father when he performs it live. 

Click on the audio link above to listen to the entire interview between him and Matt Jackfert. And you can find the album on all major platforms after its release on October 23rd.