Girl of the Red Gold Hair from Shores

Cameron Nixon - Vocals

Matt Carmichael – Tenor Saxophone
Fergus McCreadie - Piano
Mark Hendry – Double Bass
Dominykas Snarskis - Drums

Fay Guiffo - Violin
Sarah Wagner - Violin
Aimée Laws - Violin
Helena Rose - Violin
Rufus Isabel Elliot - Viola
Zeo Fawcett - Viola
Keena Wildman - Cello
Sarah McWhinney - Cello
Mathew McAteer – Double Bass

Music composed by Fergus Hall
Poems written by Sorley MacLean

Produced by Fergus Hall

Mixed and mastered by Gus Stirrat.

I - Girl of the Red Gold Hair

looking out the window

"Concert-opener" for 20 strings composed for the Britten Sinfonia

Monkish (excerpt)

The most distant star ever seen has been captured by the Hubble telescope. Light from this single star has travelled an estimated 12.9 billion years to reach Earth. It is estimated to be at least 50 times the size of our sun and millions of times as bright. Although scientists on Earth can now see its light, the star itself certainly no longer exists.
The star has been named Earendel which comes from Old English meaning “the morning star.” Earendel emitted its light remarkably close to the cosmic dawn - the epoch when the first stars ignited and galaxies began to form. It may be the only star from this epoch that we will ever see.

Cosmic Dawn (live)

The Turn - Live With dancer Colin Dunne, Irish Chamber Orchestra

The Turn - Dance in Your Blood

Meditation for Four Human Hands - for Prepared Piano & EBow

String Trio - Chambered Cairn
Based on the ancient Orkney site of Maeshowe, an ancient burial cairn that aligns with the setting sun on the eve of the Winter solstice.

Chambered Cairn - String Trio

Paddy's Leather Breeches : Scarce O' Tatties

Here is a beautifully written and touching review done by Various Small Flames:
https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/01/21/darlene-zarabozo-cheap-emotions/

the inevitable withdrawal (text by Phoebe McGowan)

Performed by Nevis Ensemble, conducted by Jon Hargreaves.

commissioned by Nevis Ensemble for their inaugural tour of Scotland in August 2018.
​
The starting point for Attach was ‘Circles in a Circle’ (1923), a work by the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky. Referring to this composition, Kandinsky wrote, “The circle is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. It combines the concentric and the excentric in a single form, and in balance." I started to think about how the communities that we all belong to are in some ways exponents of “the greatest oppositions” that Kandinsky refers to. On the one hand these small communities and their comprised individuals tend to strive for independence and may espouse a collective set of opinions, beliefs or a sense of pride. In summary, there is a desire to have their unique voices heard. On the other hand, these communities may also aspire to feel like a microcosm of society in broader terms. They may want to feel connected to neighbouring communities and ultimately feel like their voices can be aligned, strengthened and united with the voices of surrounding communities. The ebb and flow of these opposing states heavily impacted the way I thought about organising the orchestra and eventually manifested into four distinct groups of musicians. The physical spatialisation of the groups was loosely informed by ‘Circles in a Circle’, and organised to situate three chamber-sized groups within a large circle of string players. I was interested in the resultant interactions between each group’s musical material and whether they try to have their individual voices heard or contribute towards the voice of one larger entity.

Attach (for orchestra) - 2 excerpts [2018]

Commissioned by Drake Music Scotland and Hebrides Ensemble for 'Diversions' in the Queen's Hall Edinburgh. 

The work tries to create a platform where accessible music technology can simply play alongside 'traditional' orchestral instruments and stand shoulder to shoulder with the past. 

The nod to Stravinsky highlights the sentiment - a group of instruments playing together. 

The work is four movements long

I - Searching
II - Hoquetus
III - Chorale
IV - Finale

Performed by the Hebrides Ensemble and Digital Orchestra, conducted by Ben Lunn

Symphonies Of Instruments (2019)

Composer | Arranger | RCS Graduate | aileensweeney.com

Cosmic Dawn (live)

Aileen Sweeney

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Allan Segall

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