“...[Helen Grime's] palette is all her own, weaving evocative, restless motives with cool insistence. She writes as though her music needs to be told...”
- Kate Molleson, The Guardian
"Folk is a special book: immersive and dripping with life, each story a spell, an allegory, a dark, smoky poem divined from the landscape of our ancient kingdom."
- Benjamin Myers, The Guardian
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will open their season in Glasgow with the world premiere of Folk by Helen Grime on 26 September, conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth. A second performance in Aberdeen will follow on 27 September. The new piece for soprano and orchestra sets text by author Zoe Gilbert and features renowned soprano Claire Booth as soloist.
Both composer and soloist were deeply inspired by Gilbert’s 2018 debut novel and the inherent musicality of her text. Gilbert writes, “‘The songs in Folk depict the lives and longings of the people of Neverness, a fictional island inspired by the Isle of Man and its folklore. In Neverness, the folkloric is as real as everyday life.” Each of the four songs has a distinct character, unified by Grime’s characteristically skilful weaving of text and music in both virtuosic and lyrical passages.
Later this autumn on 13 November, Grime's Trumpet Concerto (night-sky-blue) (2022) will have its Swedish premiere at Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with Tabita Bergland conducting and Håkan Hardenberger on the trumpet. On 9-10 May 2025, Hardenberger will perform the piece at its Scottish Premiere with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Nodoka Okisawa, conductor.
