Program Note:

Solstice means 'Sun Stands Still'. On December 21st or 22nd every year, the winter solstice sunrise lights up a tiny chamber inside an ancient tomb in the Irish countryside. As the chamber is so small, there is a lottery every year for visitors allowed into the tomb to witness the event. People travel from all over the world to watch the rays of light penetrate the chamber, which only lasts for a few minutes. The sun sets before 4pm that day, and the sky casts a peaceful light. Like the thousands of people on waiting lists to witness this moment, it is a special day to me. This day is my New Year’s Eve, to watch the last light of the year set, and to reflect on the last 12 months, which, had been a particularly stormy and unnerving year globally. The piece is a juxtaposition of musical reflections on the year-end; one being the placid light of the winter solstice, and the other, the turbulency of events that sent shockwaves around the world.