Mythic Songs of the Sirin Bird

2007 ¦ 8 mins ¦ soprano and piano
1st performance by Catherine Backhouse (soprano) and Elspeth Wyllie (piano) ¦ St. Mary's Catherdral, Edinburgh ¦ August 2007
Score (extract) [pdf]

The Sirin Bird is a fantastical creature from Russian legend which has the head and chest of a beautiful human female and the body of a magnificent, exotic bird. As with their mythological cousins, the Greek Siren, Sirin Birds weave entrancing songs that render mortal men stupefied and ultimately dead.

This piece contains two songs; the Mourning Song and the Glee Song.



Photograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. RobertsonPhotograph by Kate V. Robertson