S O U N D T R A C K S

"And so much of my life has been about returning home and longing for home” - Sela Ward

In celebration of the award-winning Falkirk Core Path Network - some 300 miles of interconnecting pathways that span the urban and rural landscapes of Central Scotland, Sound Tracks is a suite of nine contemporary classical music pieces inspired by the people, places and landmarks of my home town of Falkirk and the surrounding landscape. On one hand, Sound Tracks is about honouring family, community and familiar places; on the other, it’s a celebration of the area's rich history and culture, with music inspired by world famous landmarks such as the Roman Antonine Wall and modern-day iconic structures such as the Falkirk Wheel.

Born and raised in Falkirk, with family living here for many generations, I was honoured to be asked to compose a body of work relating to my home town. Commissioned by 'Chamber Music Scotland' and ‘Classic Music Live! Falkirk’, I composed the music during the summer ‘UK lockdown’ of 2020. I immediately chose to arrange the music for Earthtones Trio, enabling me to feature internationally acclaimed RSNO Principal Flautist Katherine Bryan, RSNO Principal Cellist Betsy Taylor, with myself on piano.

Returning to old stomping grounds of course stirred up childhood memories and emotions and inevitably a sense of nostalgia and melancholy found its way into the music. But the music is equally motivated by the stories (and imagined feelings) of the myriad of people and communities who used the original pathways to travel to and from this region throughout the centuries. Sound Tracks therefore embodies my own feelings, but also dares to capture their feelings and stories, celebrating the people who have played a role in Falkirk’s fascinating history - whilst shining a light on a burgeoning present and future.

Although the music wasn’t written to accompany pre-existing visual elements, all the pieces here could be described as ‘soundtracks’ in the sense that, in the manner of a film composer, I aimed to encapsulate in music the feelings and thoughts of a range of characters - from the composer as a young boy/adolescent (and subsequently a parent) to Roman Centurions, medieval tribes, Italian immigrant families and an 18th century aristocratic composer. The music of Sound Tracks, like Falkirk’s own multicultural heritage, therefore draws upon a diverse mixture of musical styles from across the globe - and not least a healthy dose of Scottish folk, jazz and western classical music which remain my core influences.

Writing music inspired by my formative years has been a revealing and extremely musically nourishing process. I would encourage any composer looking for fertile musical inspiration to look no further than their hometown and their early years - to investigate their own story and relationship with a gradually evolving local history.

Growing up in Falkirk was central to my own musical development and helped lay the foundations for my career as a composer and pianist. I owe gratitude to this community, and so in writing and recording this music, I hope to give something back to the people who came before me and to those who have helped me, and continue to help me, with my musical journey.

Euan Stevenson, April 2024