Work
The Longest Reel
for solo Irish fiddle
About
(This poem was used to introduce ‘The Longest Reel’ on the night of the premiere)
This piece was written for Siobhán Peoples, but Siobhán can’t be with us cos she’s at a Steeple
Because today her sister’s just been wed, So tonight we have Aoife Ó’Brien instead
No better woman to take Siobhán’s place, Others might find it too daunting to face
This piece does exactly what it says on the tin, It’s the Longest Reel that’s ever been written
It goes non-stop for 8 minutes or so, It starts like a Highland then grows and grows
Into a wild meandering melody, Like Paddy Fahey and Con Cassidy
Meeting J.S. Bach and Igor Stravinsky, For a mighty session down the street
The tune takes many twists and turns, Some are quite odd, quite tricky to learn
There’s double-stopping and odd hiccup beats, But it’s no trouble to Aoife, you’re in for a treat