Of the three brand new pieces, Lloyd Moore’s ‘Three Epigrams of Kathleen Raine’ stood out, with the mezzo Louise Mott revealing their verdant inspiration.
Three Epigrams of Kathleen Raine
Duration: 6'30"
(2003)
Description
for mezzo-soprano and ensemble
flute (= piccolo), oboe (= cor anglais), clarinet in A (= Eb clarinet), bassoon, horn,
2 violins, viola, cello, double bass
First performance: 11 February 2006, Louise Mott (mezzo-soprano), members of the Philharmonia Orchestra, cond: Christopher Austin/Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, UK
Reviews
…the music always engrossing and of a larger dimension than the five [sic] minute duration might suggest.
Programme Note
I was introduced to the poetry of Kathleen Raine when I was a student and made a number of unsuccessful attempts to set it at the time. These settings, however, were written in 2003 when, after re-reading a number of her shorter poems, I decided to try again. In this particular grouping, the three settings follow a progression from the dreams of a sleeper in early morning, via a joyful celebration of a spring day, to a graveside visit in the dusk of early evening.