Performance by ‘Coracle’ 28th September 2025
This is a setting of a beautiful and stirring poem by Robert Macfarlane. Written in 2018 at the time of the Sheffield tree cutting protests and for the protesters, he encouraged it to be set to music as part of the campaign. Recent events regarding the felling of the Sycamore gap tree has further added to the emotional content of these words. The poem gives voice to a tree and asks us to consider their relevance in our lives.
Musically I wanted to create a strong dialogue between the piano, and the choir with soprano soloist.
There are broadly 3 sections, the first characterised by a motif for the tree asking us to be aware of its (rising) sap and heartwood as perhaps human-like equivalents. I use a lot of dynamic contrast to bring the tree ‘voices’ near and far away as in a wood perhaps.
The second more lyrical section entreats us to consider the importance of trees, but this is interrupted with a more dramatic section and sudden key change; ‘I hear the roaring engines thrum, but I cannot run’. The final section is a reprise of the first section (in part) but there are more subdivided voices representing the thankfully still numerous trees.