The Bride's Journey was commissioned by Rusne Mataityte of the Kaskados Trio and received its first performance in the Vilnius Philharmonic on 12 May 2005.

The piece is part of an on-going series of pieces inspired by the folk music of Lithuania, much of it now only to be heard in early 20th century recordings.

The piece uses three traditional songs that tell of a bride's journey from first love (as siu nakti nemigau/I did not sleep this night), to the walk home from the church after the wedding (Anksta ryta keliau/I woke up early) and finally a week later, to her lamenting the loss of her mother and family home (Prapuoliau, motula/I am lost, mother).

The last section of the work uses the lively song Oi kai mes augom/O, when we were young and tells of the bride's memories of life before wedlock- 'oh when we three sisters were growing we were young and fair. When we became daughters-in-law, we had to wake early, go to bed late and forget the songs.'

The Bride's Journey was dedicated to my mother on her birthday in 2005.

The work was released on NMC D125, available from http://nmcrec.co.uk or on Amazon.


The Bride's Journey in Three Songs and a Memory for piano trio

20 The Bride's Journey In Three Songs And A Memory  IV A Memory Of Days Before The Wedding

19 The Bride's Journey In Three Songs And A Memory  III Lamenting A Week After The Wedding

18 The Bride's Journey In Three Songs And A Memory  II The Song Sung Returning From The Wedding

17 The Bride's Journey In Three Songs And A Memory  I The Love Song Before The Wedding

PERSONAL WEBSITE: www.sadieharrisoncomposer.co.uk

Sadie Harrison was born in Adelaide, Australia and moved to England in 1970. She gained her Masters and Doctorate in Composition at Kings College, London studying under Nicola Lefanu and David Lumsdaine. Performances of Sadie's works have been given across the world by Lontano, London Chamber Symphony, Music Projects/ London, Ixion, Okeanos, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Gemini, also the Kreutzer Quartet, the Kaskados Trio, Double Image, Endymion Ensemble, Capricorn, the Tate Ensemble, New Music Players, Fiona Cross, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Kate Romano, Sarah Leonard, Stephen Gutman, Clive Williamson, Simon Limbrick, Lesley-Jane Rogers, Duncan Honeybourne, the Scottish Clarinet Quartet, Paul Carey-Jones, David Heyes, the Composers Ensemble, Kokoro and the St. Christopherus Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius.
Sadie’s music has been released to critical acclaim on a number of record labels, notably NMC, Cadenza, Sargasso, BML, Metier and Clarinet Classics. Taking Flight (MSV CD92053) was chosen as Classical London’s CD of the Month, February 2001.

Her Afghan-inspired disc, The Light Garden (MSV CD92084) was described in the press as:
‘without question one of the top recordings of the year, a ground-breaking release’
Musical Pointers

‘Hit the repeat button on your CD player and let the whole disc spin two or three
times. Metier has accomplished something quite remarkable with Harrison’s
amazing music and the Bakhtar’s vibrant playing. Indisputably one of this year’s
best” La Folia, USA;

and her most recent disc, An Unexpected Light (NMC D125), based on the folk music of the Northern Caucasus and Lithuania, gained unanimous praise,

‘NMC has struck gold! A wonderful sequence which held us enthralled, playing the
programme through with only one brief pause; a marvellous 'concert' which builds
on the legacy of Bartok's Kodaly's pioneering collecting long ago, giving 'cross-over'
a new and enriched meaning; one to which we will return." Musical Pointers

‘Sadie Harrison's unique fusion of elements from indigenous Lithuanian music and
poetry with her own modernist, often abrasive style, have led her to be compared
with Bartok, but her underlying empathy with the local people of this war-torn
country shines through with a poignancy and warmth all of her own.’ Tempo

Her music has been broadcast on both radio and television, on BBC Radio 3 and in Eastern Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, America, Lithuania, The Netherlands and elsewhere and has been selected for several international festival performances. She was the only composer chosen to represent Australia at the ISCM World Music Days 2002 and her clarinet concerto The Fourteenth Terrace was selected by the ISCM Australian Reading Panel to go forward to the World Music Days Zagreb 2005.

Sadie took an extended break from composition in 2008 to pursue a further degree and subsequent career in archaeology. She worked as a field archaeologist in Britain and abroad for three years, specialising in the Bronze Age pottery of the Carpathian Basin, in particular the fabulous Kosider Ware found in Hungary. A career highlight was taking part in the Channel 4 Time Team Series in 2010!

Since her return to music full-time, Sadie has continued her relationship with Lithuanian musicians, with new works performed at the Kaunas Festival 2012, and her violin concerto An Unexpected Light receiving a further performance by Rusne Mataityte in Vilnius in September 2012. Sadie has been working closely with double bass virtuoso David Heyes, writing a number of works for youngand amateur bassists, most works now published by Recital Music, with several premiered by students from Wells Cathedral School in 2012-13. She has recently written works for baritone Paul Carey Jones performed at the Late Music Festival York in 2012 and has received several performances of Gallery, an extended set of solo violin pieces by Peter Sheppard Skaerved, in Britain and across Europe in 2012-13. The complete set will be recorded for broadcast in Nashville later this year.

Sadie is currently working on a piano concerto for Sergej Okrushko and the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius, a set of violin duos for the Retorica Duo and a new work for piano to be played by Ian Pace at this year’s Late Music Festival in York at Rzewski’s 75th Birthday
Celebration Concert. Following the success of her work with the Scottish Clarinet Quartet and the Songs of the Earth Project, Sadie is working with Alex South on an ongoing project with the group and the exceptional Plockton Traditional Music School. She has just finished a set of solo viola pieces for Diana Mathews. She is also working on a piano piece for Duncan Honeybourne, in response to the music of William Barnes. This work, alongside ‘Lunae: Four Nocturnes’ will be recorded for CD by Duncan later this year, to be released on Divine Art. Sadie’s music is published primarily by the University of York Music Press. A number of works for double bass have recently been published by Recital Music.

‘Rhythm and lyricism held in perfect balance.’ Gramophone 2001
"this is distinctive, pungent music that demands close attention." Guardian 2005

The Bride's Journey in Three Songs and a Memory for piano trio

Sadie Harrison Composer