Skein

Philip Cashian - Skein

Skein: ‘a loosely knotted tangle of ideas’.

“Skein is scored for 10 instruments and lasts about 15 minutes. As the title implies, the piece is made up from several different ideas that overlap and run into one another. There are about a dozen sections, some similar in character, others contrasting and threaded through with a recurring solo role for viola.”

Philip Cahsian

… the music has a coherence and continuity that makes it lucidly engaging.
The Guardian

Skein proved a vivid exercise in musical imagery. Its 14 minutes teem with incident and colour, scrupulously marshalled by Brabbins, and typical of this likeable composer’s engaging communication.
The Birmingham Post

Teeming with prominent solos, especially for viola, the piece was effortlessly agile, with wispy textures and brimming with flights of fantasy.
The Independent

First performed by BCMG conducted by Martyn Brabbins on 11 February 2006 at CBSO Centre, Birmingham.