The final rehearsals of Tom David Wilson’s composition ‘Imagined Conversation on Blackford Hill’ have taken place this week.
Composer, Tom David Wilson, lead pupils of St Mary’s Music School through one of their final rehearsals ahead of the premiere of his new composition, Imagined Conversation on Blackford Hill, which will feature in the school’s first live concert since the start of the pandemic on 13 December.
St Mary’s Music School has brought together the literary might of Alexander McCall Smith with the talents of a range of composers in the Seven Hills Project – a major two-year cultural event – to celebrate the School’s 50th birthday in 2023.
For this New Music initiative and unique School project, Alexander McCall Smith has written a collection of seven poems to reflect the character of the seven hills of Edinburgh and seven composers – all with links to the School – have been commissioned to each write a musical response to one of the hills and the corresponding poem.
The premiere of the new work by Wilson will be performed by clarinettist Sally Day and senior pupils, Hester Parkin (violin), Daisy Richards (viola), and Alexander Boyd-Bench (cello) at the School’s Christmas Concert on Monday at St Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh.
Mr Wilson said: “The opportunity to write this piece and bring it to such a fruition has been very special to me. I jumped at the chance to respond to the text on Blackford Hill for two reasons: my wife Emma and I had done the walk so beautifully described by Alexander McCall Smith, and the subject matter of looking into deep space from the observatory is very inspiring. I consider scientists and science to be artistic and creative. One cannot be a scientist, working at the cutting edge, without an extraordinarily creative imagination.”
The first composition, entitled Theory of the Earth and inspired by Arthur’s Seat, was composed by Jay Capperauld and was premiered in July.
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