Noisy Nights - Tre'r Ceiri

The wonderful Red Note ensemble have chosen to perform one of my pieces at their Noisy Nights gig on Monday 12th December.

http://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/noisy-nights/

Tre'r Ceiri is one of my favourite places, a bronze age hill fort in North Wales, with the peak of Yr Eifl just to the west and a sharp drop down to the Altantic beyond. One magical afternoon of waltzing with ravens overlooking the stunning Lleyn Peninsula led to a slow waltz - written on the whistle in the whistling air.

The line up of this Noisy Nights seemed perfect for the piece to develop an arrangement, Harmonium, Fiddle and Cello. I've used the harmonium sparingly to lay subtle drones through most of the piece, establishing a tonal stability before breaking off into a chordal procession under the spoken word. The cello and fiddle pass the melody between them in a slow game, a dance, an exchange, my waltz with the raven.

Writing for Red Note is such a rewarding experience, as I always know that they will make an outstanding job of whatever I give them, the sounds jump from the page and intensify what I imagined, a kind of technicolor for my ears.