The Day Dawn (for amateur orchestra)
Composition Date: 1997
Duration: 15'
Orchestration: Strings (upper, middle lower-adaptable)
Information:
Commissioned by Contemporary Music for All.
First performed by CoMA Summer School String Orchestra, Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire 1997.
Programme Note:
The Day Dawn is based on an old Shetland fiddle tune of the same name, which was traditionally played at the Winter Solstice to mark the dawn of lengthening days. Dedicated to my friend Christine McKemmie, who was living in Shetland when her young daughter Zoe died, the piece symbolizes new beginnings, recalling the sense of calm Chris felt on the day of the funeral, dawning bright after a week of rain.
The work was commissioned in 1997 by Contemporary Music-making for Amateurs. I later made a version for professional performance at the instigation of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and its director Joseph Swensen, which is the version presented here.
Sally Beamish
Available Recordings: