More Imaginary Folksongs : 2023

More Imaginary Folksongs (for violin and orchestra – 2023) should be seen as a companion piece to my Three Imaginary Folksongs (for clarinet and orchestra), written in 2017 (see below).

Both have been written to feature a member of the orchestra which commissioned the pieces (now the Hope Metropolitan Orchestra) – in the clarinet pieces it was the then principal clarinettist, Jacqueline Thomas, and in the present piece, the leader, Leo Byrne.

As with the clarinet pieces, the present pieces might be heard as coming from imaginary places, referencing elements of the styles of earlier folksong-inspired composers. The plaintive tone of the first folksong contrasts with the livelier, dance-like patterns of the second.