The Advent Candles are sequence of four contemplative pieces to be played during advent (the four weeks immediately before Christmas). Each subsequent candle is slightly more complex than the previous one and uses different instrumentation, although all are trios.

Victor suggests that when playing the first candle, each note should be held longer than written, so that it overlaps with the previous and next notes.

The style of all the candles is  minimalist and probably closer to the baltic minimalists than anything else. The notes are therefore very easy to play… however, the way you play them will be critical and the blend, tuning and placement of each note is where the pieces will either come to life of die. Initially when you play them… particularly the first candle, it is difficult to hear the beauty… however, as you concentrate, your senses will become more and more aware of how you are playing each note and how it interacts with the other notes…. you will discover a completely new way of listening and playing. It will prove that less can be more!

Because of the style, the pieces really require a big acoustic or some added reverb to help the instruments blend and create the correct atmosphere. If you want to try to create such an acoustic for your playing at home, try reading our article on the subject which outlines where to get a simple reverb App and how to configure it so your playing sounds like you are in a much larger space.