Lisa Robertson at HCMF

Lisa Robertson at St Paul's Hall, Huddersfield, 18 November 2019, free entry

Lisa Robertson is interested in creating music for environments, linking smaller-scale worlds to broader political statements. Her newest composition, Can we not hear the birds that sing?, was conceived at a nature reserve near Motherwell, and is inspired by the choruses of bird song she heard there. Robertson created the piece in close collaboration with her geographical site, juxtaposing the localised sounds of the nature reserve with the urban surroundings it finds itself ensconced in. The M74 Motorway proved to be a key influence over the piece, decorating the bird sounds with the destructive human relationships that comprise nature.