The three pieces on this disc represent David Bruce’s highly personal musical and spiritual responses to nature. Cymbeline (an old Celtic word meaning ‘Lord of the Sun’) draws on ancient religious attitudes to the sun, and is framed as a trinity of birth, life and death, as represented by sunrise, noon and sunset.

The north wind was a woman song cycle treats various aspects of nature as human characters, as if they were manifestations of human emotions. So the north wind for example, is a jilted lover who ‘rattles your windows, bangs at your doors’. Scored for a folk-imbued ensemble, featuring prominent parts for mandolin and harp, the cycle ranges from the wild rage of the ‘lunatic moon’ to the sombre and tender loneliness of the mountain contemplating her only friend throughout the years – the night sky.

The consolation of rain is a moving reflection on loss and the restorative power of nature. When a loved one passes away the atoms of their body literally become part of the natural world, which means that just by observing nature, rain, weather, you are in a very real sense ‘with your loved one’; a fact which is immensely consoling.

Bruce has a close relationship with many of the featured artists, he has collaborated with Avi Avital on five pieces, most recently a commission from NDR in Germany. Avital has toured Cymbeline (commissioned by San Diego Symphony) around the world including a recent North American tour with Dover Quartet. Camerata Pacifica have also worked frequently with Bruce and commissioned The consolation of rain from him in 2017. The north wind was a woman was commissioned by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and features many of the same players involved in the 2009 premiere, including harpist Bridget Kibbey (another close collaborator, who also features on the Camerata Pacifica recording).