On A Wing and A Prayer – Morvern

On A Wing and A Prayer – Morvern is the third in Nordic Viola’s series of concerts exploring ecological change as the world undergoes climate change.

Each stage of the project takes place in an area that means a lot to me personally but, more importantly, I want to work with composers who live in those areas and to talk to people living and working in the project area. Despite her growing national and international reputation, Morvern is very much home for Lisa Robertson and alongside her composing, she is an active member of the community.

We were very grateful to Alasdair Firth for teaching us about the Atlantic rainforest around his croft and in particular about the lichens. Alasdair’s passion opened my eyes to these remarkable plants and now I find myself looking and listening to my local woods in minute detail.

We are also grateful to Steve Hardy of the Scottish Wildlife Trust who told us more about the Rahoy Nature Reserve, its woodlands and birdlife as well as the pressures on this precious habitat. I’m particularly pleased to include Oakwood, End of May by Steve in this programme as a moment for stillness and reflection.

Kathleen Jamie’s The Green Room was a great inspiration to us. These poems were also inspired by the Morvern rainforests and were commissioned for BBC Radio 3. We are incredibly grateful to poet Kathleen Jamie and to Andrew McNeillie of Clutag Press for granting us permission to use extracts from The Green Room.

If you would like to buy a copy of this pamphlet, please visit https://www.clutagpress.com/product/no-5-green-room-kathleen-jamie/