Work
Full Circle
a song cycle for voice and piano from the poetry of Joan Jennings
About
This is a song cycle based on the poetry of my late mother Joan Jennings.
The 5 poems I used touch on many different themes and emotions such as the wonder of nature, the despair of loneliness, the virtues of vegetarianism, the gap between rich and poor and finally a sense of optimism that out of all the hardship one might suffer in life one can rise above it and blossom in the future. In the music I try to convey all these emotions and give the listener the sense of the author’s feelings and meanings. So at different times in the music one can get a sense of wonder, despair, loneliness, optimism, irony, humour and also very importantly Irishness. My mother loved Ireland and I inherited her love of traditional Irish music, so some of the pieces have certain characteristics of traditional Irish music such as jig rhythms and sean nós vocal ornamentations.
Contents note
I – ‘Colour and Light’
II – ‘Birdsong on a Lonely Birthday Morning’
III – ‘Bovine Brilliance’
IV – ‘In The Gutter’
V – ‘Full Circle’
Text note
Text by Joan Jennings