The stellar compass of migrating birds; the mythic birth of constellations; and singing in the dark.
The wonders of nature form the inspiration behind 'Seek the Light', a brand new work by singer/songwriter Karine Polwart and composer/sound designer Pippa Murphy, which looks upwards and outwards from our recent struggles to the living planet and beyond, weaving together spoken word, song and instrumental music in a spirit of awe, reverence and solace.
'Seek the Light' forms the glistening thread that connects all the music in this wide-ranging concert, directed by exceptional Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who performs Beethoven’s thoughtful, graceful Romance No 1 in the second of his three collaborations with the SCO this season.
Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi captures the flight, the colours and the song of one of nature’s most exquisite creations in her Birds of Paradise, while Erkki-Sven Tüür summons tectonic movements in his primal 'Insula deserta', and Peteris Vasks’ contemplative violin concerto 'Distant Light' is music of loss and hope, despair and ecstasy.
BEETHOVEN Romance No 1 in G Major, Op 40 TARRODI 'Birds of Paradise' POLWART / MURPHY 'Seek The Light' (SCO commission: World Premiere) TÜÜR 'Insula Deserta' VASKS Violin Concerto ‘Distant Light‘
Pekka Kuusisto: violin / director Karine Polwart: singer-songwriter Pippa Murphy: sound design