Lust, Greed, Vanity, Deception, Temptation, Fear - today’s society seems to thrive on the underlying, primal face of human nature which is found somewhere in all of us. In the news or in magazines, books and films we are constantly being confronted with our own demons, invariably shifting against our individual innate sense of well-being and peace - but still we watch on, still we read the articles and feed on the repercussions which temptation and attraction have thrust upon others. It has always amazed me that whatever is ‘good’ for you quite often tastes or looks like something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, and in rather opposite terms, whatever is deemed ‘bad’ is habitually the most enticing and tantalizing. It is this side of human nature which is perhaps the most primal - the need for attainment of the ‘forbidden fruit’ - that which must not be touched. It leads to so many other flaws in our character - guilt, over indulgence, dishonesty - and yet more often than not it feels like the most natural sensation in the world.

I believe that these are the underpinnings of Christina Rossetti’s epic poem ‘Goblin Market’; although I have only chosen a small segment of the poem on which to set this work, her imagery and portrayal of temptation is set at the very heart of the story, and has much to say about human nature both then, and also in contemporary modern society. My main focus was to make the music be both beautiful and grotesque, both lyrical and intrinsically abstract - but always with a silver lining.

Programme note © 2007 Graeme Stewart