Peated Waltzes

Description

Dedicated to world renowned guitarist David Russell, “Peated Waltzes” is a three-movement piece that pays homage to the peated whiskies of Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The opening movement, “Earthy Smoke, Sea Salt and Iodine,” attempts to portray the distinctive character of the single malts of that region. Based on the Gaelic folk song “The Praise of Islay” (Moladh na Landaidh), the second movement’s title comes from one the song’s last verses, “O, may long their wild notes flow.” The third movement’s theme was extracted from the letters of Laphroaig, one of the most iconic Scotch whiskies, whose name’s meaning inspired the title, “By the Broad Bay.” In the second part, the traditional Celtic melody, “An Islay Pipe Reel,” is quoted. At the end, themes of the previous movements are recalled and intertwined, as if trying to emulate the long and lingering finish of an Islay dram.