Abstract

1. Raasay Lament ' Cumha Mhic' ille Chalum'
2. Water Kelpie Call ' Each-uisge'
3. Fairy Music ' Ceol-Brutha'
4. In Hebrid Seas ' Heman Dubh'
5. The Wild Swan ' Eala fo león'
6. A Tiree Tragedy ' Mo Nighean donn a Cornaig'

A note from the composer:
These pieces are a tribute to Harrison Birtwistle's time on the Hebridean island, Raasay, and follow a similar form to his famous Duets for Storab written for two flutes in 1983. Birtwistle's original six duets were inspired by the legend of Storab, a Viking prince, who was shipwrecked and sought refuge on the island of Raasay.

This short collection of duets for Eb or Bb clarinets set snippets of Hebridean folk melodies which Marjory Kennedy-Fraser carefully transcribed in 1909, and which she dedicated 'To the women of the Hebrides, who were not only skilled in the spinning and weaving of fine linen and in the curious arts of the dyer, but who sang at their work.' Kennedy-Fraser's work attempted to preserve and restore some of these songs, and here, I am acknowledging them and developing them anew.

I have specifically chosen folk melodies that have links to the island of Raasay, or have themes of mythology or nature, as these themes are strong in my work.