"In the Vatican Museum there are five angels by Bernini, preparatory models made of twisted wire and plaster, now in a state of gradual decay; in several places the plaster has crumbled to reveal the wire frame underneath, but they remain beautiful in this state of slow decline. My piece is cast in five short, contrasted movements (the five angels, perhaps?), played without a break, and in each I’ve tried to capture something of the fragile incompleteness of the Bernini, and the simultaneous presentation of growth and decay. Each movement begins with a single idea to which other layers are added, but the original idea remains present throughout, serving as the frame around which the structures have been built. Towards the end of each movement the music subsides (or decays) to a single musical idea once again, but not necessarily the one with which it began" - David Lancaster.

Read more about the work in the composer's blog here.