Clarke: The Prophecies of Merlin

Featuring

Neil Thomson
Peter Sheppard Skaerved
Alexandru Cozma
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Nigel Clarke

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Compositional Technique

Nigel Clarke's 'The Prophecies of Merlin' is structured as a five-movement symphony, with each movement named after a location from Geoffrey of Monmouth's writings, and the violin cast as the "maddened Merlin."

Composer's Artistic Vision

Nigel Clarke is known for his virtuosic writing, contemporary language, and a penchant for storytelling, creating a sound world with rhythmic drive, bravura orchestration, and contrasting musical outbursts.

Instruments

Peter Sheppard Skærved recorded 'The Prophecies of Merlin' on a Girolamo Amati violin dating from 1629.

Composer Biography

Nigel Clarke, the composer, developed a love for music at an early age while learning a brass instrument and served as a military bandsman in the Royal Marines and Irish Guards.

Performer Biography

Peter Sheppard Skærved, the violinist on this recording, is a GRAMMY-nominated artist with over one hundred critically acclaimed albums and is known for performing a vast range of solo repertoire, including works written specifically for him.

Composition History

The symphony 'The Prophecies of Merlin' was inspired by the 12th-century writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth, who depicted the magician Merlin in his works 'De gestis Britonum' and 'Vita Merlini'.

Composition History

The idea for Nigel Clarke's 'The Prophecies of Merlin' originated from a text message from violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved, who suggested a new project involving the violin.