Abstract
Two compositions by Tom Armstrong included in "Songs Now. British Songs of the 21st Century". Opened Spaces comprises two brief songs to texts by the Merseyside-based playwright Jim Morris. Whilst the titles of both texts (London Song, Song of Inishmaan) indicate specific places, Jim takes these as starting points for elliptical yet highly evocative writings that could chime with any number of locations and their communities. It is this sense of ambiguity and openness in the writing that the collective title comes above is meant to suggest. Musically both songs contain suggestions of “snapshots” of verse structures clothed in a rich and, I hope, colourful harmonic language. Some Geographical information: Inishmaan is an island off the coast of County Donegal in the Irish Republic. In the same song, the word “sisal” refers to a strong piece of string and a “curragh” is a small, light boat with a tarred underside. Paul Carey Jones (baritone) and Ian Ryan (piano)