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The idea for The Weaving of Telescopes developed from reading a fragment of a letter sent by one of the St. Kildan islanders, ten years after he'd been evacuated from the island. The letter evokes the nostalgia and longing he felt for the place. I wanted to write a piece that reflected these feelings. The title The Weaving of Telescopes refers to an early photograph of two St. Kildans sitting on a clifftop with a telescope. Peter McGarr was born in Manchester and studied music and dance at Mather College. For several years he taught steel pan, achieving the Outstanding Performance Award from Music for Youth for his steel band Orchestral Steel. Self-taught in composition, he has had his music performed by many leading orchestras and ensembles, including the BBC Philharmonic, Brodsky Quartet, Black Dyke Band, Ensemble Bash, and City of London Sinfonia. The Society for the Promotion of New Music has programmed 11 of his pieces, many being featured at the major British festivals at Bath, Huddersfield, Spitalfields and on BBC Radio 3. He was awarded the spnm's George Butterworth Award and was also included on their CD sampler Short Cuts. Recently, a further CD of his music has been released with Sarah Brooke, principal flute with the Royal Opera House Orchestra. Future performances of his works are to be given by London Sinfonietta, Joanna MacGregor, Ensemble Bash, Kevin Bowyer, Cappella Nova and COMA. In July 2000 a BBC Proms commission – Cloudspell Seasons – will be premièred at the Royal Albert Hall. Back to shortlist. |
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