Mirrie Dancers

by Tomi Räisänen

Alto Flute Concerto

for alto flute and ensemble

Description

Despite being a Finn, I had never visited Lapland before the winter of 2013. I travelled to northernmost Finland to see the aurorae (polar lights). Standing outside in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures and watching nature's light show was a truly breathtaking experience. Cultures around the globe have given different names and explanations for the aurorae. People in Orkney call them 'Merry Dancers'. However, 'merry' might be a mispronouncing of the word 'mirrie', which means 'shimmering'. It is possible that in the past, aurorae preceding the red light of the rising sun was seen as an omen of a bloody battle, as this proverb suggests: 'When the mirrie dancers play, they are like to slay’. TR, 2013

Instrumentation

ob, cl, bsn, guit, vln, vla, vlc, tape, afl solo

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

First performance on October 5, 2013, in London by Carla Rees, solo a.fl, Paul Goodey, ob, Ashley Myall, bn, David Black, gtr, Marie Schreer, vln, Julian Fish, vla, Corentin Chassard, vc, Michael Oliva, electronics and Tomi Räisänen, cond.

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