The Skene Obsession (2019)
Violin, Viola, Clarinet and Cello
Short extract from the premiere of The Skene Obsession [2’04”]
This piece is based on a short, darkly comical legend about the 17th century Laird of Skene (pronounced: ‘skeen’), who lived in central Aberdeenshire, and was also allegedly a wizard. At a local ceilidh one night, he got so fed up with the music and dancing that he put a curse on the entire party, forcing them to play and dance to the point where their fingers and feet bled, and they collapsed exhausted. As an autist, I am familiar with the concept of obsession, and this legend provided a suitable framework to demonstrate this idea in music. The piece is therefore basically a reel that is repeated in evermore frantic iterations and brought past the point of endurance (though I should point out that I absolutely do NOT intend the musicians to bleed or harm themselves in performance!)
PERFORMANCES:
Première: 13 November 2019 - Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh - Hebrides Ensemble
Online performances 31 January - YouTube stream - Hebrides Ensemble