Twa Burns Songs

for SABar and piano
Rory Boyle's Twa Burns Songs are arrangements of two traditional Scottish folk songs, setting words by Robert Burns. The lilting legato accompaniment of the first song, 'Afton Water', emulates the vivid description of the River Afton. The second song, 'Ae Fond Kiss', uses Scotch snap rhythms and matches the wistful character of the poem. Guidance on the pronunciation of Scots words is given in the leaflet.

Rory Boyle received his earliest musical training as a chorister at St George's Chapel, Windsor. He went on to study composition, piano, and conducting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, following which he studied privately with Lennox Berkeley in London. While still a student, Boyle won the BBC Scottish Composer's Prize with his first orchestral score, and he is the recipient of two Royal Philharmonic Prize and the ZAiKS Prize in the second Kazimierz Serocki International Composers' Competition. He has two British Composer Awards to his credit with two further nominations. His works span a wide range of genres, and he has written for a number of performers including Evelyn Glennie, Nicholas Daniel, Karen Cargill, and the BBC Singers.