An ‚expanding cycle' of three works - from Inner Light I for seven players and tape to Inner Light III for large orchestra (with Wagner tubas) and tape - Harvey's Inner Light trilogy is a pivotal work which makes the transition from his expressionistic early work and his later scores, which centre on his work with electronics, principally at IRCAM and Stanford.
Harvey composed the central panel, Inner Light II for five singers, ensemble of 12 players and tape, last and in many ways it can be seen as the trilogy's highpoint. A homage to Rudolf Steiner, it explores what he described as the ‚illuminated' world of children, incorporating a reading of Kipling's short story ‚They', extracts from T. S. Eliot's ‚Burnt Norton', St John's Gospel, the work of William Blake and Steiner's own writings. With live and electronic elements that interact subtly throughout its 36-minute span, this is an unfailingly intense, compelling work that thoroughly deserves to be rediscovered.