These solo pieces are a companion to
Journeys, a piece for string orchestra written in response to the ongoing Refugee Crisis. As with the original piece, the three movements are presented as ‘acts’. The first Act is about leaving, the second about travel and the third arriving. These are the solo stories that represent the millions of individuals that combine to become a ‘bunch of migrants’ (David Cameron, 2016).
The pieces are based on ideas developed from themes in the orchestral piece. Musically, the entire piece is based on Arabic ‘scale’, Maqam Saba, which expresses sadness and pain and can also be related to armies and travelling from place to place. Rhythmic influences include the Syrian rhythm with eleven beats in a bar called ‘Fajir’ and an improvisatory melodic style.
The latest statistics (December 2016 - World Vision) 13.5 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance, 4.8 million Syrians are refugees, and 6.1 million are displaced within Syria. Half of those affected are children.
These are people just like us who have had to leave everything behind to try and keep themselves and their children safe. Profits from these pieces will help support the work that international charities are doing to alleviate their suffering.
This work is also available with piano accompaniment for violin, cello and double bass.
