Located in the northwest of England, Cumbria borders Scotland and contains the Lake District National Park, as well as parts of Hadrian's wall. Naturally, the landscape provides many opportunities for inspiration, which Clarke draws upon for his new album Tales of Cumbria.
This latest release is Clarke's third album to date. His first two albums, Confusion and In the Flow, were recorded 10 years ago and are scored for orchestra and electronics. Tales of Cumbria is Clarke's first album of solo works for his favorite instrument, the piano.
Track Listing: A Journey Through Cumbria
Each of the following tracks is a brief snapshot of a different area of Cumbria. Listeners may want to break out a map as they listen, to get a feel for the album's geography. Videos for "Sour Milk Gill" and "Lonely Road" available on Clarke's Myspace also provide a visual accompaniment to the music.
- Over the Solway
- Helvellyn in the Mist
- Sour Milk Gill
- Catbells
- Whinlatter Forest under Moonlight
- Boat Trip out of Whitehaven Harbour
- Lonely Road
- Barrow (by Braithwaite)
- Alone on Allonby Beach
- Buttermere
- Bassenthwaite in the Wing
- Blencathra
- Workington Life
- Grassmoor
- Train to Dalegarth
- High Stile
- St Bridgets Church, Moresby
Music and Motion: Capturing Nature in Sound
Much of the music depicts natural phenomenon that swirl and eddy: rivers, waterfalls, mists, waves and wind. The melodies accordingly rise and fall over the keyboards in flowing patterns through several tracks, including "Over the Solway," "Helvellyn in the Mist," and "High Stile."
But the music isn't all arpeggios and grace notes: Clarke also playfully experiments with rhythms as well. The track "Buttermere," uses a 5/4 time at a lazy pace to portray a walk round a lake. The unusual time signature can sound either like a waltz that gets shortchanged every other measure, or a waltz that just can't bring itself to end and echoes on for another two beats before hitting the next down beat. The second version fits well with Clarke's portrait of a lake that glides beneath the eyes off into the distance, before pulling the eyes back to shore.
The final track on the album, "St Bridgets Church, Moresby," is a piano version of the "Agnus Dei" from Clarke's very first composition "Requiem," a work which he wrote at the age of 18.
Alexander Clarke studied composition at the University of York and the University of California, Los Angeles. "Requiem," a piece for choir, soloists, orchestra and rhythm section, was broadcast on the BBC Radio. He has also written music for choir when he worked as Director of Music at St Paul's Cathedral School.
Sources
Liner Notes. Tales of Cumbria. Alexander Clarke. 2007/2008.
Sarah Canice Funke - Sarah Canice Funke was home-schooled through primary and secondary school in beautiful Colorado. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in ...
