Birmingham Contemporary Music Group performs Sir Harrison Birtwistle's piece 'Roddy's Reel' for clarinet and audience participation, with Melvin Tay Clapping and ‘Shh’ing.

We’re delighted to be bringing you what’s (probably) the first-ever Zoom recording of this piece! Recorded with BCMG bass-clarinettist Mark O’Brien and NEXT Conductor Melvin Tay at the CBSO Centre, audience members joined from around the world to take part.

 

Clarinet - Mark O'Brien

Clapping and 'Shh’ing - Melvin Tay

 

This participatory piece contains clapping, stomping, and ‘shhhh’ing emulating the weather on the Hebridean Isle of Raasay, where Birtwistle composed Roddy’s Reel. Written as a tribute to his neighbour Roddy MacLeod, Birtwistle quotes from the Scottish Gaelic poem An Cuilitheann (The Cuilin) by Sorley MacLean, himself a son of Raasay.

 

By kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes.

This excerpt is taken from our Back to the Beginning digital concert.