London, Royal Albert Hall Proms 2003

Extract

At its best, Judith Weirs's music makes use of very simple and clear musical ideas with great wit to great effect. This quality is most apparent in pieces which have some dramatic, or at least extra-musical aspect, often connected with some type of folklore or folk music. When the music becomes more abstract, it can also be less lively and less appealing. The Composer Portrait concert which was presented as a preface to the UK première at the Proms on 7 August of her orchestral piece The Welcome Arrival of Rain contained examples of both of these sides of the composer's work. Distance and Enchantment, for piano quartet, is based on Northern Irish and Scottish folk songs, worked into a beautiful and compelling instrumental texture. Sketches from a Bagpiper's Album evokes the sound of the bagpipes and the instrumental and compositional techniques associated with its repertory. Next to these works, Music for 247 Strings, for violin and piano, has much less profile and less personality. Even though it strikingly employs a texture which is a favorite of Weir's, distinctly different contrapuntal lines presented in rhythmic unison, it just doesn't seem to be about much of anything.