The original recording

Beginning with St. Teresa's own writings my research laid trail through George Bataille's 'Eroticism' to Klossowski's 'The Baphomet' and back via the Knights Templar to Bataille's 'Trial of Gilles de rais' (for whom I had already held a fascination for several years).  But whilst the imagery of erotic rapture as an interpretation of the Christian mystical experience is and has been an intriguing extrapolation, I felt in danger of becoming too overwrought should I follow the thread of this arcane legacy too closely.  Instead I began to draw more heavily on the 'modern' visions of the children from Medjugorje as a source of inspiration for the music.  One book in particular become a great repository of clues:- "Scientific And Medical studies on the Apparitions at Medjugorje" by Rene Laurentin and Henri Joyeux.  The rigorous tests these five children endured and in particular the diagrams of the electro-encephalograms fascinated me.  I applied these 'brain waves' to the envelopes of some of the synthetic sounds on this recording.  Th eoriginal soundtrack was recorded 'live sequence' to film in one marathon session of 22 hours.

The ban

I was absolutely stunned by the subsequent preemptive banning of the film on the grounds of 'blasphemy' and it has been a huge privilege to watch first hand, through countless futile meetings and hearings, Nigel's zealous pursuit of the BBFC for his right to express himself.  I think we are all aware of the wider implications of the tyranny this sort of censorship aspires to.  Whilst the film itself may not have the highest artistic integrity (and that is always subjective) the cause that Wingrove continues to battle for - has.

The new recording

In January 1996 sensing victory at the forthcoming European Court of Human Rights hearing, Nigel and I spoke at length about a possible commercial RE:lease of 'Visions'.  As a RE:sult I RE:turned to the studio to RE:shape and RE:model the original tapes whilst adding new material that would flesh out the source themes - both musical and conceptual.  In the intervening years sequencing technology had evolved tremendously (as had my grasp of it) so it became a challenge in itself to 'morph' the two sets of recordings together.  I hope I have succeeded.  The film RE:mains banned.  So for now - enjoy the music.

Steven Severin, London, October 1998.

Although the film may have been banned as blasphemy, you'd never be able to tell from the music on this CD. Consisting of ambient instrumental pieces, "Visions" ranges from being solemn and moody ("Sphere") to exultant ("The Absolute") to foreboding ("Come Deliver Us"). Overall, the album is very similar to a less somber, more melodic Caul, or something akin to Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson's amazing score for "Children of Nature".

Also interesting about the album are some of the techniques used in recording the music. Not content to use just the film as inspiration, Severin researched into the life of St. Theresa, as well as cases of other mystical visions. As Severin says in the liner notes, "...whilst the imagery of erotic rapture as an interpretation of the Christian mystical experience is and has been an intriguing extrapolation, I felt in danger of becoming too overwrought should I follow the thread of this arcane legacy too closely." Severin researched the visions of a group of children from Medjugorje who had undergone various medical tests. One of these tests involved diagramming the children's brainwaves and Severin even went so far as to use these diagrams to create some of the sounds used throughout the album.

"The Absolute" is one of the most beautiful songs on the album, beginning with bright atmospherics that sound like some heavenly chorus. The whole piece continues to build up until it is joined by a chorus of bells, propelling the piece to even greater beauty. If this isn't the kind of music one might hear during a religious vision, I don't know what is. The song is given a slightly darker reworking on "The Radiance." "Enter Into These Bonds" could be a track from Michael Brook and Pieter Nooten's "Sleeps With the Fishes" (the best thing 4AD ever released). On the final track, Severin is joined by cellist Martin McCarrick; the result continues the somber mood of the whole album. Ghostly voices circle around in the distance like the last echoes of a Divine message while "Bladerunner"-esque soundscapes slowly build somewhere far below.

Speaking from my own beliefs, I have some problems with Divine messages and visions being treated as erotic imagery. I fear there'd be a very fine line to cross before the material would lose its spiritual significance and become mere titillation. But I have no such complaints or qualms with "Visions." The music on this CD seems very fitting for a film about Divine messages; it is dark, mysterious, compelling, and beautiful. This is one of those rare soundtracks that can stand on its own apart from the movie that inspired it, that is inspired enough in its own way to be a completely independent, beautiful, and moving work of art.

Jason Morehead 03/05/00

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