The Shepherd on the Rock D. 965 for Voice Clarinet and Piano-The Shepherd on the Rock composed in the final year of Schubert’s life was in a certain sense a commission. The opera singer Anna Milder-Hauptmann the first Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio had asked Schubert in letters written between 1824 and 1825 to write a grand scene for voice for her. Yet he only finally started work on it in autumn 1828. He used three different poems as the basis for his work combining them to form an equally brilliant and atmospheric musical scene.The Clarinet adds to its particular charm sometimes joining in as a soloist at other times following the voice like an echo - ensuringSchubert’s Shepherd a special place in the repertoire even today.

This 1963 setting of three well-known folksongs honours the melody line in the Soprano while adding brilliant texture and accompaniment in the clarinet and Piano. In Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier McCabe moves his harmonies away from the certainty of the minor tune for an intriguing dislocation that reflects the loss in the lyrics. In the lullabye Hush-A-Ba Birdie Croon Croon the clarinet provides a rippling undertone to the singer while D’Ye Ken John Peel carries as much musical acknowledgement of the ‘death in the morning’ as it does the romping ‘hounds and Horn’.Contemporary British musician John McCabe has been a prolific composer since his earliest years and an activepianist recording extensively and performing across the globe. His compositions tend toward large scale works there are seven symphonies so far but he has composed for every size and type of ensemble. He is particularly well known for his concerti.