Sally Beamish

Programme Note

Settings of the 14th century Persian Sufi poet, each using a bird or animal to describe separation from, and longing for, the Beloved.

I chose these texts after seeing Jila Peacock's extraordinary book, Ten Poems from Hafez, in which the whole Persian text of each poem has been designed in the shape of the animal mentioned by Hafez in the text, and set alongside a new English translation by the artist.

The music attempts to create the mood of each poem; the first, Nightingale, set against an ostinato accompaniment, and the second, Peacock, created almost entirely from 'falling' motifs. The third poem, Fish, is directly inspired by an Iranian motif, which develops into fast flowing breathless semiquavers. Hoopoe uses the bird's call as a refrain throughout, with the piano repeating paragraphs of intensifying chords.