Locus Iste, scored for SATB and piano, was commissioned by chamber choir Sonoro in 2018 as part of their 'Choral Inspirations' project. The project culminated in a recording of well known choral settings alongside newly commissioned works using the same texts, or based on similar themes. Will Todd’s setting of the famous Locus Iste text was recorded alongside Bruckner’s setting on Sonoro’s CD, Choral Inspirations.
Locus iste is an atmospheric setting of a well-known Latin text. With an ever-changing time signature, Todd's writing is gentle but effective; the mysterious piano accompaniment combined with the dissonant harmonies in the sustained voices create a soundscape that hints at an ethereal world.
Locus iste a Deo factus est,
Inestimabile sacramentum,
Irreprehensibilis est.
Translation:
This place was made by God,
a priceless sacrament;
it is without reproach.