Score and solo part on special sale, parts for hire

Over the recent Scottish winter, I got great joy from walking in the morning’s low, raking light – a glow illuminating the still-waking world obliquely and throwing the austere Georgian facades into relief. The way the light acted upon these surfaces was very beautiful, highlighting minutiae and casting incisions of deep shadow. I later learned that this phenomenon underpins a process in fields like art conservation, where raking light is used to reveal the textural details of a surface, and inconsistencies such as small distortions, tears and creases.

Rose arose out of contemplating this image and idea, as I speculated about what it might sound like if melodic fragments were analogously lit. As a piece of music, Rose unfolds gradually in cycles of simple lines and remnants of melody, through which subtle disparities can be perceived and felt. The uniform quietude of the work allows space for this surface to glow, darken and breathe.

Lisa Illean