Skye

Skye for Harp by Freya Waley-Cohen.

This work was first performed on 16 July 2019 at the Cleveland Institute of Music by Rebekah Efthimiou.

Programme Notes

This piece was commissioned by the harpist Rebekah Efthimiou with support from the American Harp Society. Rebekah, who is from the USA was spending a year in the UK and was particularly interested in the folk music and harp music of the British Isles. It's called Skye because I spent time during most summers and some Hogmanays in my childhood on the isle of Skye where my godfather and my sister's godfather who was Macleod of Macleod lived in Dunvegan castle. It's a place full of folklore - and I spent a lot of time there hearing stories about the famous fairy flag and the dungeons, the ceremonial horns, the nearby fairy pools and much more. This piece comes out of the sounds of the Scottish folk songs Rebekah sent me and the memories of the place I spent most time hearing Scottish music and learning bits of local Scottish folklore.

- Freya Waley-Cohen

Duration: 6.5 minutes