winter's eve by Huw Morgan

Like "Island" and "Peninsula", these improvisations, recorded on the historic organ of St Nicholas Church, Grosmont, are a place-paean to the landscape around the village, as well as being inspired by the folklore of Wales and the borders, particularly vivid and powerful around the arrival of winter.

A "toili" is a ghostly funeral procession: in January 1872, a farm labourer returning to one of the farms between Llangattock and Llangynidr along a snow-filled lane saw a funeral procession approaching. He moved aside to allow the procession to pass when he saw it was unreal, mourners and bearers were treading on air and their slowly stepping feet were on a level with the hedge. During the following days snow fell heavily completely filling the lanes. When a neighbour died the cortege had to make its way to the graveyard by walking above the hedgerows.

Tracklist

1.	the world has dropped its petals	7:48

2.	winter's shift	4:44

3.	the passage of the sun across October's skies	17:06

4.	toili	7:35

5.	limestone eyes	3:02

6.	spindleberry	9:33