LF 26: Hebrides Ensemble

Northesk Church, Musselburgh 13/9/26

Hebrides Ensemble, William Conway (director), Ailish Tynan (soprano)

The Hebrides Ensemble were joined by Irish soprano Ailish Tynan at the Lammermuir Festival venue of Northesk Church in Musselburgh on the afternoon of 13th September for an eclectic programme of music by Judith Weir, Helen Grime, Charles Ives, Lyell Cresswell, Thea Musgrave and Stuart MacRae. Some of the programme linked to the unifying theme of the commedia dell’arte character of Pierrot. The Hebrides Ensemble comprises flautist Cormac Henry, clarinettist Yann Ghiro (a.k.a. principal at the BBC Scottish), violinist David Alberman, cellist (and Artistic Director) William Conway and pianist James Willshire.

Judith Weir’s .‘O Viridissima’ is based on a monadic hymn ‘O viridissima virga’ (O greenest branch) by Hildegard of Bingen,a Marian hymn in praise of fertility, “scored” for piano trio. My inverted commas are because much of it is unison violin and cello high in their registers following the monadic line, with piano chimes at the end of each line. Only near the end of the 5-minute piece to we hear anything near the bass clef or harmony. Serenity and radiance? Absolutely. Craving a second hearing? Not really. Palate cleanser at best. I prefer the Hildegard original unadulterated.

Helen Grime’s ‘Seven Pierrot Miniatures’ was the first piece on the programme to link to the theme. Its instrumentation included violin/viola, cello, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, and piano. In seven short movements without voice, it evoked moods of 7 Giraud poems not used by Schoenberg in ‘Pierrot Lunaire’. ‘The Clouds’ established the surreal baseline of the work with all playing their main instrument and some stylish flutter-tonguing on the flute. ‘Décor’ was fast-moving shrill piccolo. , ‘Absinthe’, with clarinet, viola and cello, inhabited a sound world that reminded me of moments in Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’. Nice piano sonorities made for a piece that was timbrally interesting, even if the atonality was a bit forbidding. ‘Suicide’ went for trilling piano, cello harmonics, and shrill comments for violin and piccolo. ‘The Church’ had a flute solo emulative of birdsong, with an unusual effect produced by blowing percussively at the embouchure while selecting different resonances. From this point, my attention wandered somewhat and I could not be sure of where the movement boundaries were. The last two movements, ‘Sunset’ and ‘The Harp’, brought in violin and cello with bass clarinet and piano in a fast-moving pursuit, followed by piccolo, violin and cello harmonics, back to the B-flat clarinet and conclusion on piano. I shall eschew any anti-atonal comments because, in truth, I found the piece interesting and, whilst (and perhaps even because) my attention was not fully captured, I could imagine seeking out a second hearing. Maybe not just yet, though.

Charles Ives ‘Songs my mother taught me’ is an 1895 voice-and-piano setting reworked in 1903 for flute, cello, piano and voice, of an English translation of the same Czech poem set by Dvořák. Not Romantic like the Dvořák, but pleasingly tonal and melodic in 3 dreamy verses with a modulation for the middle verse. Lovely too to hear Ailish Tynan’s voice again, albeit briefly, before she would return again in the second half. The Ives segued directly into Lyell Cresswell’s 1987 ‘Variations on a theme of Charles Ives’, the theme being (more or less) the song we had just heard, the variations played on flute and cello. The range of timbres and textures explored by Cresswell with just two instruments was quite impressive. After a statement of the theme high on the cello while the flute quoted quirky B-flat octave leaps from the Ives piano part, a first variation was suffused with radiant harmony. Subsequent variations might be described as angry cello placated by flute, chilling suspenseful sotto voce parallel motion, accelerating repeated notes out of sync with non-functional harmony, cello solo de profundis answered by anxious birdsong from the flute, very quiet slow unison dividing only at last note of phrases, scary loud theatrical trills, slowly moving cello harmonics and flute in unison, vary fast virtuosic cello tremolo with shrieking flute, and finally Ives melody in flute over pizzicato chords. A super piece given a persuasive outing.

After the interval, Thea Musgrave’s 1985 piece ‘Pierrot’ for violin, clarinet and piano is quasi-theatrical, with stage directions accompanying the music notation, the instruments representing the characters Pierrot, Columbine and Harlequin respectively. The pianist stays put, seated. The other two stand when active, sit when not. They also move around, depending on how the characters are interacting, with music stands and chairs strategically placed. Melancholic Pierrot pines for the lovely, frivolous but shallow Columbine and attempts to woo her, initially without success. Eventually, she notices him and is flattered enough to respond to his serenade. The jealous, angry and extrovert Harlequin disrupts the serenade and grabs Columbine’s attention, easily transferred to the flashy “bad-boy”. Pierrot is left dejected and disconsolate. The music is neither melodious nor harmonious, but it is expressive and evocative and, with the theatrics, quite entertaining. It was introduced with explanation by David Alberman and, whilst not particularly ‘acted’, there was an undeniable comedic element to the unfolding choreography. Well worth the candle.

Judith Weir’s 2015 ‘Nuits d’Afrique’is a cycle of 4 songs, setting poems by 3 female poets from francophone West Africa for soprano, flute, cello and piano, written as a companion piece to Ravel’s ‘Chansons madécasses’ and dedicated to Ailish Tynan herself. She introduced them with her customary warm, genial, “Irish mammy” manner, which never fails to put this Irishman at peace with the world (I had perhaps better add that she is in fact 15 years my junior). The first song, a lullaby, has a complex rocking rhythm, but a captivating mood of sweet contentment, and was absolutely gorgeous. The second, about the sound of the village drums and the importance of understanding what they communicate, had quirky stop-and-go dance rhythms, menacing phrases low on the piano contrasting with a dreamier homely central interlude. The third song, about the woes of the crocodile, longing for friendship but alienated by the village as an object of horror and revulsion, slow low modal brooding flanking a central bright interlude with fluttering flute and tinkling piano, was another gem. The last song, about the importance of community and village life for the health and wellbeing of the individual, very much the overarching theme of the other songs, had a sweet melody in triple time, but also quoted the moods of the other songs, and featured some very beautiful lyrical flute playing. The vocal line was clearly tailored to Ailish Tynan’s voice, and it was great to hear a beautifully crafted piece performed by the artist for whom it was intended. By a long chalk, ‘Nuits d’Afrique’ was my favourite piece of the afternoon.

Stuart MacRae’s ‘Ursa Minor’ was written specifically for the Hebrides Ensemble during the Covid lockdown. It is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. For the composer, solitary nocturnal walks under clear skies during lockdown had afforded views of the constellation and its brightest guiding star, Polaris. It was the reassuring permanence of these at a time of anxiety and uncertainty that inspired the piece. Slow moving dreamy chords evoked the night, while low vaguely menacing dark notes on the piano contrasted with bright birdsong-like flickering high notes at the ends of phrases, the same melodic material essentially repeated with timbral and textural changes. A sense of mysterious stillness in the central section was achieved with muting of the stringed instruments and the pianist reaching over to dampen the piano strings by hand. In the final section, swirling rapid figures with wide intervals in the harmony gavea sense of awe. The piece ended quietly. If ‘Nuits d’Afrique’ had conveyed the reassuring benevolence of community, ‘Ursa Minor’ conveyed the reassuring constancy of the cosmos. Another fine piece awarded the fullest advocacy from the Hebrides Ensemble.

Weblink: https://www.lammermuirfestival.co.uk/event/hebrides-ensemble-2026/