An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise

Whisky, dancing, a folk fiddle and even bagpipes—Maxwell Davies paints a colourful picture of a wedding celebration on the Scottish isles. The composer moved to the Orkney Islands in 1971, and many of his works were influenced by the dramatic landscapes and the sounds of Scottish folk music. An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise was written in 1985 to mark the centenary of the Boston Pops Orchestra. The composer explained that the piece was a “picture postcard record” of a wedding he had attended on the Isle of Hoy in the Orkneys. The weather outside was ferocious, and the wind and rain are heard in the scurrying strings as the guests enter the hall. More formal music follows, as the bride and groom greet their guests. Soon, the band strikes up. Maxwell Davies represents the folk band in several guises, from solo violin to full string orchestra. The guests begin to feel tipsy, and we hear dizzying effects in the clarinets, trumpets and trombones. Celebrations go on long into the night. The mood relaxes, and the solo violin plays a slower dance. Finally, dawn arrives, to the call of a French horn. The guests leave the hall and go out to see the sun rise over the mainland. Here, Maxwell Davies calls for a highland bagpiper, in full regalia, to parade through the hall and join the orchestra onstage for the luminous climax.