Alistair MacDonald: Gun ghrian for mezzo-soprano and interactive electro-acoustic sound.

Text: Gun ghrian (“Without the Sun”) in Scottish Gaelic by Angus Peter Campbell.
Singer: Taylor Wilson (mezzo-soprano).
Recorded in St John’s Renfield Church, Glasgow on November 25, 2022.
This recording will appear on our forthcoming CD of compositions by contemporary composers from Scotland and the Scottish diaspora to texts by contemporary Gaelic poets

Graham Hair: Lament for Hagia Sophia, for 8 voices (SSAATTBB) and electro-acoustic sound.

Text (anonymous): The Last Mass in Santa Sophia (circa late 15th century) in medieval Greek.
Singers: Rachel Thomas, Sally Carr, Lynn Bellamy, Ruth Kiang, Liam Bonthrone, Ted Black, Pedro Davoli Ometo and Will Frost.
Recorded in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel on April 3, 2018.
This recording will appear on our forthcoming CD for the Ravello label.

John Gormley: Spiritus Domini, for 4 women’s voices and harp

 Text: Medieval liturgical text in English translation.

Performers: Frances Morrison-Allen & Julia Daramy-Williams (sopranos) with Lynn Bellamy & Dorcas Owen (mezzo-sopranos) and Sharron Griffiths (harp).

Recorded in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel on August 13, 2017.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming CD for the Ravello label.

Cornelius Cardew: Piano Pieces

Two piano pieces by British composer Cornelius Cardew (1934-1981)

Recorded by Scottish Voices‘ associate artist, pianist Kerry Yong, in the  Glasgow City Recital Hall on March 31, 2015.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

 

Edward McGuire: Celtic Knotwork for 3 women’s voices

Text: Abstract syllables, invented by the composer.

Performers: Frances Morrison-Allen (soprano) with Taylor Wilson & Dorcas Owen (mezzo-sopranos).

Recorded in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel on August 15, 2014.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming CD for the Ravello label.

Graham Hair: O Venezia, Part 2, for 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos and harp.

 

Performers: Sally Carr and Myrna Tennant (sopranos), Laura Smith and Dorcas Owen (mezzo-sopranos) with Sharron Griffiths (harp).

Recorded in the Glasgow Recital Hall on June 5, 2018.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label in the United States.

Bruce Mahin: Melancholy Sonnet.

 Composition by American composer Bruce Mahin, written for Scottish Voices.

Performers: Alison McNeill and Myrna Tennant (sopranos), Laura Smith and Anne Lewis (mezzo-sopranos) with Rob Sanderl (vibraphone).

Recorded in the Covington Arts Center on April 9, 2019.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

Graham Hair: Sufi Fragments, for 2 women’s voices and digital harmonium

 Performers: Julia Daramy-Williams (soprano) and Lynn Bellamy (mezzo-soprano) with electro-acoustic sound (digital harmonium).

Recorded in the Glasgow University Chapel on August 9, 2016.

These three Fragments are items from an extensive series of one-minute bagatelles, in various tempi, tone-centre combinations, textures and characters, exploring aspects of 19-EDO temperament to texts by Turkish poet Yunus Emre (1238-1320) in English translations by Süha Faiz (1926-2008).

This recording will appear on a forthcoming CD by Scottish Voices and associate artists for the Tall Poppies label in Australia.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Fragment no 1 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

The Beloved is made manifest in colours multitudinous –
But one is His accent which a hundred thousand hearts with joy has filled.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Fragment no 2 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

Azrail and Death’s twin angels, black of brow, with flaming eyes,
Spoke in turn the word ordained: to You O God I stretched my hand.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Fragment no 3 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

I am both Ka’aba and idolatry – I am the whirling universe;
I am the cloud which rises to the skies and pours its rain on the earth.

From the Great American Songbook tradition…….

George Gershwin: Fascinatin’ Rhythm.
Harold Arlen: I gotta right to sing the blues
George Gershwin: They all laughed at Christopher Columbus

Singers: Fiona Wilkie (soprano), Julia Daramy-Williams (soprano), Lynn Bellamy (mezzo-soprano), with Kerry Yong, piano.

Recorded in Glasgow City Recital Hall on March 31, 2015.

Iain Galbraith: A Glasgow Orgelbüchlein (Nine Preludes for Organ by Glasgow composer Iain Galbraith):

(1) Prelude;
(2) Winterreise;
(3) Rosenlieder;
(4) Dornenkrone;
(5) Trauermusik;
(6) Plaint;
(7) Pastorale;
(8) Resurgam;
(9) Toccata.

Recorded by Scottish Voices‘ associate artist, organist David Hamilton, in the  Chapel of Glasgow University on April 3, 2018.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

Margaret McAllister: Wendung, for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano.

 

Text: Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) in German.
Performers: Emma Morwood (soprano), Taylor Wilson (mezzo-soprano) and Lauryna Sableviciute (piano).
Recorded in the Glasgow City Recital Hall on August 30, 2016.
This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

Nicky Hind: The Well, for 3 voices and electro-acoustic sound

The text consists of wordless syllables.

Singers: Lucy Anderson & Katrina Nimmo (sopranos) & Dorcas Owen (mezzo-soprano).

Recorded in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel on August 13, 2015.

This recording will appear on our forthcoming CD for the Ravello label.

Hans Gal: Drei Lieder, for soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos and piano.

Performers: Emma Morwood (soprano), Dorcas Owen and Taylor Wilson (mezzo-sopranos) and Lauryna Sableviciute (piano).

Recorded in the Glasgow Recital Hall on August 30, 2016.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

Graham Hair: Mediterranean Duets, for 2 women’s voices and piano.

 Performers: Frances Morrison-Allen (soprano) and Dorcas Owen (mezzo-soprano) in Duets 1, 3, 5 and 7

Julia Daramy-Williams (soprano) and Emma Versteeg (mezzo-soprano) in Duets 2, 4, 6 and 8.

With Anne Robertson (piano).

Recorded in the Stirling Tolbooth on August 17, 2017.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming Scottish Voices CD for the Ravello label.

Graham Hair: Sufi Couplets, for 2 women’s voices and digital harmonium

 Performers: Julia Daramy-Williams (soprano) and Lynn Bellamy (mezzo-soprano) with electro-acoustic sound (digital harmonium).

Recorded in the Glasgow University Chapel on August 9, 2016.

These three Sufi Couplets are items from an extensive series of one-minute bagatelles to texts by Turkish poet Yunus Emre (1238-1320) in English translations by Süha Faiz (1926-2008). Sufi Couplets are designed to complement my cycle Sufi Fragments (also on this website); the two cycles cycles share  tempi, tone-centre combinations, textures, characters and other compositional procedures. But whereas Sufi Fragments explore 19-EDO temperament, Sufi Couplets employ the familiar 12-EDO temperament.

This recording will appear on a forthcoming CD by Scottish Voices and associate artists for the Tall Poppies label in Australia.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Couplet no 1 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

O Friend, my heart and head are one within the furnace of Your Love
But though my heart is in that fire consumed, in that is my delight.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Couplet no 2 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

Before all things had yet been born, or angel hosts the skies had filled,
Before creation yet was formed, with Him who formed it I was one.

Text (by Yunus Emre) of Sufi Couplet no 3 (in English translation by Süha Faiz):

Earth and air and fire and water I would leave to see His Face,
From chance released, assume the form of formlessness outside this life.