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Track(s) taken from SIGCD232

Ellie's theme

composer
Mike Sheppard (b?)

Caroline Dale (cello), English Chamber Orchestra, Steve Sidwell (conductor)
Recording details: August 2010
Phoenix Sound, Pinewood Studios, United Kingdom
Produced by Mike Sheppard & Tonia Sheppard
Engineered by Dick Lewzey
Release date: November 2010
Total duration: 5 minutes 7 seconds

Cover artwork: Woman and Boy. Eva Mueller (b?)
 

Reviews

'A prominent feature in Mike Sheppard's music is its strong neo-pastoral quality. Sweeping melodic shapes are underpinned by sumptuous modal harmonies which flow out of a lush lyrical bedrock, as heard here on 'Elegy for a Lost Son', 'Lullaby' and 'Ellie's Theme' … efficacious in this respect are the commanding performances heard here, especially that of cellist Caroline Dale. This may not be technically difficult music but it still requires thought and understanding. Dale manages to draw every drop of emotional energy from the instrument on 'Soliloquy' and 'A Remark You Made'. It is fitting that her beautifully weighted sound is heard at the very beginning and end of this album' (Gramophone)

'If you want to lie back to something warm, soothing, yet intense, this is unquestionably it. Beautiful music, played with passion, even if harder personality types might prefer a drier acoustic for the cello' (Classic FM)» More
In reverence and celebration of children everywhere—especially the ones who live secretly inside all of us—this piece is an observation of, and a tribute to, the unalloyed joy of innocence and the purity of the child. It also reflects the tenderness of the unconditional love of a parent.

The breathtaking fragility of the first statement of the main theme perfectly sums up the fragility of a child’s innocence. The central section unveils a second, more robust and joyful theme that builds to a full orchestra tutti with strings, horns and cello all combining in a full-voiced rendition of the main subject, before a sudden return to the first theme.

A new theme is introduced in the Coda, featuring an exquisitely beautifully played horn solo. This is echoed by a solo clarinet before the piece ends with a return to the codetta of the first theme.

from notes by Mike Sheppard © 2010

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