University of York Music Press

Paul Conway writes 'The recital concluded with the world premiere of Sadie Harrison’s The Book of Stars and Sorrows (2024), which was written for Lauryna Sableviciute and pays tribute to Lithuania’s folk music, culture and folklore.  Each movement is based on a traditional song and a wood carving representing an element of the text.  The subject matter deals with nature and mourning, two key themes in Lithuanian art and mythology.  Sadie Harrison’s treatment of the original music was enhancing and illuminating, the composer preserving the melodies’ essential character while bringing listeners closer to their spirit and meaning.  

‘In a couple of numbers, Lauryna Sableviciute sang the original folk tune first, a delightful gesture that helped to secure the melody in the listener’s mind and underlined how mindfully Sadie Harrison’s elaborations remained true to the mood and feeling of the traditional airs.  The settings ranged widely, from gentle evocations of sunrise with birdsong at dawn and a capering pixie and the glorious radiance of sunrise to thoughts of death, the horrors of war and a bereaved family’s mourning.  The eighth and final setting was the most extended, offering rhythmic exuberance, with grandeur and grace lacing its sonorous multi-layered texture.

‘Conserving the Lithuanian songs’ life force, The Book of Stars and Sorrows was, at the same time, entirely characteristic of the music of Sadie Harrison, searching, enlightening and inspiring.  Lauryna Sableviciute responded to this deeply felt tribute to Lithuanian folk-art with a detailed performance of subtlety and refinement and emotional devotion, bringing her recital to a memorable conclusion.’