Music for Time tour announced
This February, Hebrides Ensemble will tour venues across Scotland with Music for Time. An evening of extraordinary music that speaks across generations, exploring light, faith, and the unbreakable human spirit. Performances take place at Dumfries House, Cumnock on Sunday 1 February (part of The Cumnock Tryst's year round programme), Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Monday 2 February, Bun Sgoil Ghaidhlig Phort Righ, Skye on Friday 6 February and Adelaide Place, Glasgow on Saturday 7 February.
The programme will include Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Written during the composer’s imprisonment in a German POW camp, this pieceis a testament to hope and transcendence in the face of unimaginable hardship. Its ethereal colours, spiritual intensity, and moments of profound stillness have made it a touchstone for generations of listeners.
Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time has a particularly special place in Hebrides Ensemble’s history as it was part of their first-ever concert performance 35 years ago, and was amongst the Ensemble’s first recordings on Linn Records.
In dialogue with Messiaen’s masterpiece, Hebrides Ensemble premieres a new work by Arthur Keegan, generously supported by the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Composers Programme. Keegan’s composition takes Messiaen’s ideas of eternity and renewal as a starting point, creating a contemporary reflection on faith, fragility, and the passing of time. Together, these two works offer a powerful evening of music that reaches beyond time — where sound becomes remembrance, renewal and hope.
