Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- Hugh Wood
Wild Cyclamen (2006)
- Chester Music Ltd (World)
Co-commissioned by the BBC and the Royal Philharmonic Society as part of the New Generation Artists Scheme.
Programme Note
I A Dream of Frances Speedwell
II Wild Cyclamen
III Beatrice and Dante
IV The Garden
V The Leap
VI Not to Sleep
VII The Crab-Tree
VIII Bites and Kisses
IX Horizon
X The Window Sill
XI A Lost Jewel
XII Hedges Freaked with Snow
I’ve always admired Robert Graves and have been setting his poetry for over 40 years. But the four sets I’ve made of his work (18 poems in all) have all been collections; this time I wanted to assemble a cycle, which would follow the characteristic pattern of the great classic song cycles in depicting the rise and fall of a love affair. Graves wrote no such cycle, so I’ve had to construct one; it doesn’t present too strong a storyline, but the songs are meant to be sung in a fixed order.
The cycle begins with first acquaintance and increasing intimacy. Then III: Beatrice and Dante and IV: The Garden are attempts to universalise the experience first from the poet’s, and then from the woman’s point of view. The next four songs tell of the exaltations and calms of the height of a love affair. Then, with IX: Horizon, decline and betrayal set in, disguised (or revealed?) by the rhythms of a habanera. X: The Window Sill conjures up a nightmarish dream; XI: A Lost Jewel the beloved is lost to a ‘strange bed’, but still dreams there of the blue jewel of previous happiness. With XII: Hedges Freaked with Snow it is all over.
Hugh Wood
II Wild Cyclamen
III Beatrice and Dante
IV The Garden
V The Leap
VI Not to Sleep
VII The Crab-Tree
VIII Bites and Kisses
IX Horizon
X The Window Sill
XI A Lost Jewel
XII Hedges Freaked with Snow
I’ve always admired Robert Graves and have been setting his poetry for over 40 years. But the four sets I’ve made of his work (18 poems in all) have all been collections; this time I wanted to assemble a cycle, which would follow the characteristic pattern of the great classic song cycles in depicting the rise and fall of a love affair. Graves wrote no such cycle, so I’ve had to construct one; it doesn’t present too strong a storyline, but the songs are meant to be sung in a fixed order.
The cycle begins with first acquaintance and increasing intimacy. Then III: Beatrice and Dante and IV: The Garden are attempts to universalise the experience first from the poet’s, and then from the woman’s point of view. The next four songs tell of the exaltations and calms of the height of a love affair. Then, with IX: Horizon, decline and betrayal set in, disguised (or revealed?) by the rhythms of a habanera. X: The Window Sill conjures up a nightmarish dream; XI: A Lost Jewel the beloved is lost to a ‘strange bed’, but still dreams there of the blue jewel of previous happiness. With XII: Hedges Freaked with Snow it is all over.
Hugh Wood
Scores
Sample Pages