Casken, John - Serpents of Wisdom for Horn and Piano

Norman MacCaig's poem Celtic Cross inspired me to write Serpents of
Wisdom. The poem describes the
symbols of a bygone era, carved in stone, intertwined and intertwined. The
idea of ​​a writhing snake and a coiled horn came to mind.
The powerfully vibrating phrase at the beginning, with which I
wanted to express the essence of these noble, powerful figures on Celtic crosses,
largely determines the musical material of the work, as does the
idea of ​​twisting and intertwining. John Casken

Commissioned jointly by BBC Radio 3 and the Royal Philharmonic
Society as part of the New Generation Artists Scheme
World premiere: February 1, 2016 London, Wigmore Hall (UK) · Alec Frank-Gemmill,
horn; Alasdair Beatson, piano