BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL SI WOMEN

From the composer:
'Inspired by tales from Irish folklore, this collection features the actions of powerful, cunning and beautiful female spirits.
The story of Dearg Due (translated as 'red bloodsucker') is a sad tale of a young and beautiful Irish woman who fell in love with a poor farmer. Her greedy father found the suitor unacceptable and instead of blessing their love, he forced her into an arranged marriage with a wealthy but abusive man. In her grief, she would later commit suicide and legend says that she arose from the grave to seek revenge on her father and husband. The spirit is said to rise once every year to suck the blood of her male victims. This Dracula-inspired Irish Sidhe appears to have arisen more recently from modern lore. The first movement showcases the youth and vibrance of the Dearg Due as she dances upon her victim’s graves.
In Irish lore, the Banshee is storied to be either an old female spirit or fairy. Some tales say that the feared spirit rode alongside the Dullahan (the Irish Headless Horseman) in a black cart pulled by six black horses. Other legends portray that each Irish family has a Banshee of their own. Regardless of the interpretation, the wail of the Bean Si (translated as 'Banshee') is agreed upon as a foretelling of impending doom, most often the death of a family member. The second movement loosely incorporates the “Musical notation of the ‘Banshee’s Cry’ from Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (Yeats, 1888)” into a modern setting of impending doom.
Best described as a powerful fairy, the Leannan Si is a cunning muse. Her beauty is said to have inspired poets and musicians, ultimately costing them their lives. In Irish lore, the Leannan Si is said to have seduced men with her intelligence, creativity, and magic but that she ultimately abandoned them. Desperate for her love, they would die from depression, after which she would bring their bodies back to her lair. She is storied to have collected the blood of her men in a giant red cauldron which is said to be the source of her beauty and power. In the third movement, performers spin out elements of the fairy’s intelligence, creativity and magic into a complex contrapuntal web while the three voices also take turns sounding off individual notes of the traditional 'A Sidhe Love Song' to lure men with a spinning siren song.'

• The Dearg Due Dances
• The Bean Si (Banshee) Screams
• The Leannan Sí Casts Her Spell

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