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For solo viola c. 2021
This work for solo viola was commissioned by Tring Chamber Music in 2021, to be a companion piece to the famous poem “I know why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou. We chose it for the timeless relevance of its theme of freedom and oppression, for the vital role of music or song that it affirms, and for the poem’s structure, which lends itself so well to a musical structure. The poem was an important rallying cry for black Americans in the USA in the 1960s. As I composed the music, in August 2021, Afghanistan was relinquished to a new wave of oppression by the Taliban, above all against women. I was moved to include authentic Afghan melodies in the two places in the structure where the caged bird “opens its throat to sing”. The first is improvisatory and melancholy, the second assertive and highly rhythmical.Despite my intention to avoid attempting to imitate bird song on the viola, I could not resist allowing the viola to catch the currents of air up into its highest regions.
The playing time is about 10 minutes.