Ewen Henderson is set to release his newest album ‘Léirsinn’ on Friday the 18th of October.
Heavily influenced by the environment, Henderson writes about two different perspectives: the imagined and the experienced. His inspiration for the album comes from the idea that how we respond to the world around us is shaped by our imaginations.
He began the writing process during the pandemic when he was forced to slow down his life of travelling and music to accommodate the restrictions that were put in place. These restrictions gave him the opportunity to fully immerse himself in a place, albeit virtually, with the help of visual aids and the personal encounters of others.
He said, “I would say that some of the imagined journeys felt almost every bit as real as the physical visits or, perhaps more accurately, that elements of the ‘real’ trips felt every bit as imaginary as the imagined journeys.”
As he explored how to connect these journeys, Henderson found that the same excitement he experienced during his imaginary trips accompanied him on his real expeditions.
“As the project began with the imaginary journeys, I found that I couldn’t help but carry some of the enthusiasm and feelings from those trips with me on the real journeys – this will inevitably have brought the two experiences closer together.”
After spending time exploring this concept during the pandemic, Henderson enrolled in the Music and the Environment Master’s degree course at the University of the Highlands and Islands to delve deeper into the idea. Once it was safe to travel, he visited the places from his imagined journeys, correlating pairs of compositions from each location in an effort to understand the extent to which imagination influences our perception of place.
The first single from the album, ‘Beinn Eighe / Ewan Robertson, Celtman’, was inspired by his visit to Beinn Eighe and Coire Mhic Fhearchair, where he participated in the Celtman Extreme Triathlon as a support runner for his step-brother, Ewan Robertson. The cheerful tune conveys the energy of the race and the spectacular views on offer.
The next single, ‘Coire Mhic Fhearchair’, will be released on Friday the 11th of October. This track serves as the complementary, imagined counterpart to the first single. Coire Mhic Fhearchair is one of the most photographed locations in Scotland, which provided the focal point for Henderson’s imagination during the writing process.
The album showcases an impressive array of talent, including celebrated cellist Su-a Lee, Scots Trad 2022 Musician of the Year Megan Henderson, as well as renowned musicians Hamish Napier, Innes Watson, and Iain MacFarlane.
Léirsinn introduces a new concept to music by exploring the correlation between the imagined and the experienced, offering a distinct sound compared to Henderson’s work with Mànran. One of the benefits of being in a band is the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other, allowing the input of other musicians to bring in new perspectives. “It can sometimes be wildly different to how you imagined it developing, and I love that,” said Henderson.
“There’s a tremendous freedom in working alone and being able to pursue any creative pathway purely for creativity’s sake,” he added, “and there’s also a deep satisfaction in nurturing a tiny idea through every stage of its development into a finished piece of art.”
With Léirsinn, Henderson invites listeners to journey with him through the interplay of imagination and reality, where each note and composition reflects a world both seen and unseen.
- Ewen Henderson - 7 October 2024
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