Prelude from Swirling Flame by Elysian Fields

In a very really sense Swirling Flame is central to this album’s concept of blending old and new, ancient and modern. The distinguished ceramic artist Barbara Campbell-Allen OAM is one of my closest friends and an artistic inspiration. I composed Swirling Flame to play at the opening of one of her exhibitions. It is named after a ceramic work she created. In places the alto clarinet line makes use of motifs developed by Paul Campbell-Allen who played soprano saxophone with me at the premiere.

The movements have names associated with French baroque suites of the 16 and 1700s, which is deliberate. Yet we also use modern audio effects that, along with more contemporary harmony, serves to blur the boundaries of space and time. It was Matt Keegan’s idea to use the alto clarinet, which I love.

One of the joys Elysian Fields has given me is the stimulus to compose again. I wrote music from my teenage years but the era I was educated in very much discouraged musicians from composing anything that was not ‘great’, so I just stopped writing. Strange given that up to the late 1800s virtually all musicians composed and often made a living as composer-performers. The band has been very encouraging of my writing which, I really appreciate.

Elysian Fields is one of the world's only electric viola da gamba bands. The sextet was founded by gambist, Jenny Eriksson along Matt Keegan, sax, & Matt McMahon, piano. We largely play original music & arrangements written by group members.

Our new album 'Swirling Flame' is out October 24 2025

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