looking out the window

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

Monkish (excerpt)

'Rant' is a great word which has several meanings across Scotland. First and foremost, it is a type of traditional tune that is used in country dancing, usually characterised as being slightly slower than a reel with more emphasis on the downbeats. However in the Scots language, ranting can also mean “to romp, roister, make merry or indulge in boisterous fun.” Although, perhaps more widely and more commonly, rant can also be used to describe speaking in a “bombastic and impassioned way.” With this piece, I wanted to squeeze as many notes and as much energy as possible into 3 minutes and ranting (in whatever sense of the word) seemed like the perfect way to do it!

RANT(excerpt)performed by Britten Sinfonia

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

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

RANT(excerpt)performed by Britten Sinfonia

Aileen Sweeney

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