| Track list | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I once had a sweetheart | trad. | 3' 37" |
| 2 | Hinterland | John Stringer | 8' 06" |
| 3 | Come at dawn | anon. | 4' 06" |
| 4 | Black swans | Martin Scheuregger | 7' 21" |
| 5 | Bird on a briar | anon. | 2' 54" |
| 6 | Of silence and harmony | Christopher Leedham | 8' 38" |
| 7 | Banks of green willow | trad. | 4' 04" |
Written in 1999, Hinterland’s subtle changes of texture are at the forefront of its soundworld creating an introspective quality that exists at the very edge of audibility; a violin crescendo or a pulsing bass clarinet become, in this context, major events. Timbres created by low piccolo or high string harmonics enhance the sense of fragility, adding to the impression that the music will fracture and decay. (JS)
A flock of white swans will look all the whiter when a single black swan flies amongst them. The idea of vivid clarity achieved by complete contrast inspired Black Swans (2013), a work in which motifs, gestures and sections are juxtaposed both for impact and to achieve a sense of clarity from one moment to the next. (MS)
Placing the warmth of resonance alongside the fragility of a lone melodic line, Of silence and harmony (2013) explores how a single instrument can gradually assert itself on an ensemble, emerging from the shadows to become the principal protagonist. (CL)
Christopher Leedham is a British composer whose compositional interests lie in formulating narrative threads in abstract musical structures, and the development of complex compositional webs utilising only the simplest of melodic ideas. Martin Scheuregger is a composer based in the North of England. Aware of the music of the past as much as that of the present, he aims to compose works that both engage and challenge audiences, with particular interest in notions of miniaturisation and brevity. John Stringer is a composer and conductor based in York, England. His works have been performed across Europe and the US by prestigious players and ensembles including Rohan de Saram, Pascal Gallois, Magnus Andersson, Noriko Kawai, Melinda Maxwell, the BBC Symphony and Philharmonia orchestras, Ensemble 10/10, New Noise and de Ereprijs.