Hey all, I thought I'd put this up and see if anyone likes it. It's long been finished, recorded and released, so if you *don't* like it then we'll all just have to live with it, but I hope you do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7irhRZyixk
Some of my marketing blurb I wrote at the time:
"Hiraeth' is a Welsh word for homesickness - not only for a home you’ve left, but a home you cannot return to or never existed at all. Having moved house shortly before I began composing the work, and being prone to crippling nostalgia for places not just months but decades in my past, this concept of extreme homesickness immediately caught my attention. Thus Hiraeth became a tone poem for my old homes and haunts, trees and rivers - places I’ve walked and never will again.
Compositionally, Hiraeth is centred round a five-note theme first established (0.45) after the work’s ominous, divided low strings opening. At first played without harmonic support, bass and cello divisi are introduced before the theme’s darker four-note variant is introduced (1.12), both joining for the piece’s crescendo (4.38). A second, more romantic and mournful theme acts as a counter to the bitter triumph of the first, played initially by violas and cellos (1.52) and returned to later with double bass, cello and finally unison violin octaves (3.46). The piece closes as it opens, ending with a flourishing if slightly dissonant swell.
A highly tonal piece, the orchestration is appropriately traditional - themes often played in unison across octaves between either cellos and violas, or violins I & II, with the other sections providing harmonic support. To achieve the wide, lush sound I love in string music, these supporting sections are generally divided; tremolo is often used for texture in quieter moments, and themes are passed between sections to be explored and evolved."
Replies
I'm slightly in two minds about this. It's beautifully scored and indeed achieves the "lush wide sound" you like. And after a slightly sedate opening, the emotional pace certainly starts to quick after the introduction of the fine second theme and indeed reaches a greater level of intensity at the climax than in many of your works I've heard. Any yet there's perhaps still something a bit too "safe" and about this (for instance I find popular Vaughan Williams works like the "Lark Ascending" and Tallis Variations but NOT the marvellous 3rd symphony really boring) for my emotional or musical needs -- which probably says more about me than your own compositional abilities.
I consider the Tallis Fantasia to be one of the greatest pieces of string writing ever accomplished, so if I'm as safe and boring as that I'll take it! But thank you for the positive comments as well.
Precisely-- I suspect you've achieved exactly what you set out to do. Pay no attention to me!
"Hiraeth" is one of those words, like "petrichor", that goes through phases of having composers discover and use it as a pithy title. I only regret I didn't get there first.
Hi, Dave- this link Sparks Vol 2 takes you to a promotional video where you can watch the recording session for about a third of Hiraeth. I was happy to find and watch it as I was taken by the three-dimension quality of this recording (in headphones, at least) and I was searching therefore for information on the recording space. I thought it was probably in a studio when I first listened. Getting right to your point, yea, I like this.... very much so. I gave it several listens, the first about a week ago, but it was the second listen that brought me in. ThIs string orchestra and the engineers gave you (and us) an outstanding recording. Thank you for sharing this terrific and moving work. -Ray
Thanks a lot, Raymond - yeah, I was a little frustrated to find they'd only filmed about a third of the session after the fact. But the main thing was the recording itself, and the players, conductor and my session go-between (I'm in UK and they were in Europe, so it was remote) were great. I always get nervous before a session but this was a good one; I've had some very bad ones!
Finally found some time to listen to this. This is great! The recording really brings the music to life, and brings out the tearful emotions really well. You seem to excel at sad music. ;-) Kidding, this is great stuff, like some of the other orchestral stuff you've posted before back in the bad ole days of the old forum. (No hiraeth for that, I'm assuming. ;-))
While the music and tone is completely different, the idea of hiraeth seems to match the kind of feeling I was going for in my fugue in E minor. Well, that's all I'll say, don't want to hijack this thread to talk about my own work. :-P
Do you have the score for this by any chance? For my own learning in orchestration.
Despite the nature of a lot of my orchestral work, I basically like writing sad or bittersweet things most. So I don't take it as an insult if you think I excel as it - thank you!
I miss the old forum a little, I've been holding off on dumping too much of that music here but just as many people would be cynical of it now as a few years ago. I savagely enjoyed some of the truly unhinged arguments that would crop up. And it was where I met some of you people, with whom I still talk. Wholesome, ain't it?
The score IS available online for purchase, but I think I'm safe gifting it to you. Probably you wouldn't make much on the black market. Message me with an email address, I'll add you as a friend now if I haven't already.
I was never on the last forum but one so missed all those truly unhinged arguments which I am perfectly capable of getting involved in if I put my mind to it. But I doubt they're apply to your music which is invariably tasteful and well-crafted. Perhaps I miss just an element of unhingedness myself but that says more about me than your music. The population at large prefers the Tallis Fantasia to the 3rd symphony (to say nothing of the 4th) so. as usual, I'm out on a limb.
We could have an unhinged argument about your stance on the Tallis Fantasia! I bet you put salt in your tea and think it's sugar. I bet you laugh at crippled dogs. I bet you killed a man without even asking his name... is this unhinged enough? ;)
Actually those arguments did sometimes apply to my music. It was very strange.
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