Ronald Stevenson: Music for Accordion

Catalogue No: TOCC0658
EAN/UPC: 5060113446589
Release Date: 2023-10-06
Composer: Ronald Stevenson
Artists: Michael O'Rourke, Neil Sutcliffe, Rosie Lavery

Ronald Stevenson (1928–2015) is best remembered for his huge output of music for the piano, an instrument he played with a rare understanding of tonal colour. It was thus entirely within character that he responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to explore the musical possibilities of the accordion, most impressively in a ‘Dance Poem’ of some scale. Stevenson was also an inveterate transcriber, producing hundreds of piano versions of pieces written for other forces. Neil Sutcliffe here returns the compliment, transcribing one of Stevenson’s own piano works and five of his songs for accordion, pulling the classical world and Scottish traditional music a little closer together.

Neil Sutcliffe, accordion
Michae O’Rourke, percussion
Rosie Lavery, soprano

Listen To This Recording:

The Harlot’s House: Dance Poem after Oscar Wilde (1988) (32:59)

  1. Recitation: The Harlot’s House (1:58)
  2. I. Lento, senza misura (1:49)
  3. II. Andante (1:24)
  4. III. Tempo di Valse – (1:15)
  5. IV. Ragtime (2:08)
  6. V. Andante (3:03)
  7. VI. Molto moderato (2:21)
  8. VII. Sarabanda con maesta (2:10)
  9. VIII. Tranquillo con moto (3:10)
  10. IX. Habanera – Tango (2:29)
  11. X. Allegretto (2:07)
  12. XI. Totentanz (2:24)
  13. XII. Lento assai (1:22)
  14. XIII. Tempo di valse (2:02)
  15. XIV. Lento ma con moto (3:17)

South Uist (Hebridean) Folk-Song Suite (1969) (10:00)
transcr. Neil Sutcliffe

  1. I. Sailing Song (1:01)
  2. II. A Witching Song for the Milking (1:41)
  3. III. A Little Mouth Music (1:06)
  4. IV. Waulking Song (1:32)
  5. V. Spinning Song (0:44)
  6. VI. A Tired Mother’s Lullaby (2:17)
  7. VIII. The Christ Child’s Lullaby (1:39)

Five Songs (7:35)
transcr. Neil Sutcliffe

  1. Bubblyjock (1966) (1:15)
  2. The Rose of All the World (c. 1966) (1:00)
  3. The Buckie Braes (1965) (1:47)
  4. Hallowe’en Sang (1965) (1:44)
  5. Day is Düne (1965) (1:49)

A Celtic Cycle (1984-88) (10:33)

  1. I. Celtic Lovesong: The Light and Dark of Love (4:13)
  2. II. Celtic Lullaby (3:19)
  3. III. Peaceful March of the Ever Young (3:01)

First Recordings

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