A solitude of space

for voice, piano

This is a set of seven poems of isolation by Emily Dickinson. Melancholy and disturbing, they show her gift for ambiguity and conveying complex shades of meaning. The poems are not related to each-other but I chose to shape them into a “story arc” of isolation and trauma.

The vocal writing is often meant to convey colour and dramatise the text, instead of setting it in traditional melodic sense. My sense of structure and flow has improved since these songs and I'm planning to rewrite parts of them.

The places which I enjoy most are of course some of the piano parts – particularly 4. The Morning after Wo and 7. The snow that never drifts.

I've recorded the piano parts of songs 3, 4 and 7 with my voice speaking the text on top. Songs 1, 2, 5, and 6 can be heard by listening to the very rough Sibelius demo on SoundCloud.