No Trees to Whisper – a song cycle for soprano and clarinet
Performed by Turning the Elements
Frances Cooper (soprano) Joanna Nicholson (clarinet)
Saturday 26th March 2022 – at 2pm – on Zoom
Join us for the video premiere of this beautiful collaborative new work commissioned by soprano and clarinet duo Turning the Elements, with the support of Creative Scotland.
The inspiration for the project came from Dr Samuel Johnson and James Boswell’s famous diaries of their Journey to the Highlands and Islands in 1773 –
“ I sat down on a bank, such as a writer of Romance might have delighted to feign. I had indeed no trees to whisper over my head, but a clear rivulet streamed at my feet…. Whether I spent the hour well, I know not: for here I first conceived the thought of this narration”
Poetry was commissioned from Iain Morrison, Dawn Wood and Haworth Hodgkinson, and music from Linda Buckley, Aidan O’Rourke and Gemma McGregor. Three very individual pieces from the poet/composer partnerships are woven together by interludes composed by Joanna, and nature photography by Frances to create a 40-minute film of evocative words, music and images.
Frances and Joanna have performed as Turning the Elements for nearly 10 years, taking this intimate combination of instruments to audiences around the country, and they performed as part of the prestigious Made in Scotland Showcase, curated by Creative Scotland, in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2019. This is the second major work they have commissioned.
We are also thrilled to be Zooming to you from The Weaver’s Room in Verdant Works. Thanks to Dundee Heritage Trust’s Deirdre Robertson, for making it possible, and Wendy Gammie, for making it work!
Sheena Wellington is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Saturday 26th March, 2pm-3pm (waiting room open at 1.50pm)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 850 3768 8867
Passcode: 255139
