Featuring Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) principals Katherine Bryan (flute), Betsy Taylor (cello) with Falkirk-born composer, Euan Stevenson, on piano, ‘Antonine’ is inspired by the untold story of Lady Louisa Charteris of Callendar House in Falkirk, Stevenson’s hometown.
Lady Louisa was a keen musician, lover of poetry and leading figure in arts and charitable work in Falkirk. “Whilst it’s fair to say she lived a life of privilege, alongside pioneering female musicians of the period including Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, she pursued her passion for music despite the social constraints of the time and whilst overcoming the personal trauma of the death of her 8-year old daughter”, says the Scottish composer.
Antonine carries an air of melancholy that belies Lady Louisa’s grief which haunted her until her own death in 1845. She sought solace in music and poetry, becoming a skilled harpsichord player and transcriber of the music she heard performed by visiting musicians. Manuscripts remain in Callendar House containing the annotations she transcribed, arranged and played - some being the favourite songs and hymns of her beloved daughter. “When developing ideas for Antonine I became fascinated by Lady Charteris’ story - we searched high and low for details of her life with limited results, testimony to how female musicians went unrecognised for so long”, says Stevenson. “Prior to the publication of sheet music and long before sound recording, her transcriptions offer valuable insight into the music enjoyed by people of this period. She was, in many ways, ahead of her time in an era when females were seldom encouraged to pursue interests such as music".
‘Sound Tracks’ is a suite of nine pieces written by Stevenson for Earthtones Trio. Commissioned by 'Chamber Music Scotland' and ‘Classic Music Live! Falkirk’, the album is an homage to the people and the places around Falkirk, the composer’s home town. Blending classical, jazz and folk, Sound Tracks explores themes of migration, integration, community, innovation and rebirth.
'Antonine' is available now to download and stream. More information at www.euanstevenson.com