Plot Summary 

An uninhabited islet in the Western Isles of the Scottish Hebrides 

An old crone or ‘Cailleach’ sings of local legends of seals that turn into mortal women. The voices of a Seal-Woman and her Seal-Sister are heard. Two Fishermen and the Islesman approach the island. The Isleman recalls a Seal-Woman he has seen before, and when she and her sister appear he captures their sea-robes – without which they cannot return to the sea – and will only relinquish those of the sister. He declares his love for the Seal-Woman, and she agrees to go with him. Seven years later, the Seal-Woman has borne his child, Morag. The Cailleach visits them, and while she sleeps three prophetic swans arrive and predict that the Seal-Woman will be free only when her daughter discovers the sea-robe hidden in a peat stack. Morag finds it and brings it to her mother. She flees and flings herself from the cliff into the sea. The Islesman and his daughter listen to the Seal-Woman singing as she swims away. 

—–

The Seal-Woman was Marjory Kennedy-Fraser’s only completed operatic work (in which she also sang the role of the Cailleach in the first production), and a new recording provides a valuable opportunity to recognise the work of female composers of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries who made a significant contribution to the musical landscape of their time. Kennedy-Fraser was an important ethnomusicologist and performer who did much to preserve and promote Scotland’s ancient musical culture by collecting and arranging folk songs for publication that are still performed today. 

The mythical Selkie stories (not unlike Dvořák’s Rusalka) provide a captivating tale exploring the entwining of two worlds, making it accessible and intriguing for both newcomers and seasoned opera listeners, and the inclusion of popular Scottish tunes, such as ‘An Eriskay Love Lilt’ further connects the work with its Scottish roots and enhances its appeal for new audiences. 

Born at Perth, Marjory Kennedy-Fraser was the daughter of the famous Scottish singer David Kennedy and studied music in Milan and Paris. At the age of twelve she toured with her father as his accompanist. Following her husband’s death, she settled as a teacher and lecturer in Edinburgh, devoting much of her life to the collection, arrangement, publication, and performance of Scottish folk songs, especially those of the Hebrides. The Seal-Woman was her only completed operatic work (in which she also sang the role of the Cailleach in the first production), and a new recording provides a valuable opportunity to recognise the work of female composers of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries who made a significant contribution to the musical landscape of their time. For a more in-depth biography please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjory_Kennedy-Fraser 

—–

Granville Ransome Bantock (1868–1946) was an accomplished composer, educator, conductor, administrator, and internationally respected examiner, leaving his mark on every facet of musical life. In addition to his busy professional life, simultaneously holding the positions of Principal of the Birmingham and Midland Institute School of Music (now the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) and Peyton Professor at the University of Birmingham, he composed an enormous amount of music.

Born in London to a prominent Scottish surgeon, Dr George Granville Bantock, and his wife, Sophia Elizabeth Ransome, the young composer’s journey was far from conventional. Though initially steered towards the Indian Civil Service and then Chemical Engineering, his path was diverted due to health issues and an undeniable pull towards music.

Eventually, he entered Trinity College of Music where, amongst other things, he studied counterpoint and harmony with Dr Gordon Saunders. On being awarded the first Macfarren Scholarship, Bantock entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1889, a transformative period where he was mentored by a leading Wagnerite, Frederick Corder. Embarking on his professional journey, he travelled the world as a conductor of musical comedies for George Edwardes, and even ventured into the world of publishing with The New Quarterly Music Review.

As a conductor, his skill was recognised in 1897 when he took on the mantle of conductor at the New Brighton Tower near Liverpool, promoting the works of an eclectic mix of composers. Bantock’s stature grew when he moved to Birmingham in 1900 to take up the post of Principal of the Birmingham and Midland Institute School of Music. Eight years later, in 1908, he succeeded Edward Elgar as Peyton Professor at the University of Birmingham. Whilst in Birmingham, Bantock played a significant role in founding the city’s principal orchestra, now the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

As a composer, Bantock’s legacy is one of richly orchestrated tone-poems depicting exotic landscapes and stories. Hundreds of songs sit beside instrumental and piano pieces, enormous choral works and operas, ballets and plays. Bantock was a composer of extraordinary vision and inextinguishable energy.

For a more thorough biography, see King, Andrew, ‘Sir Granville Bantock (1868 – 1946): Aspects of His Life and Songs’, PhD diss. (University of Birmingham, 2021)

John Andrews Conductor
Benjamin Hamilton Assistant Conductor
The Orchestra of Scottish Opera

Yvonne Howard The Cailleach (An Old Crone)
Catherine Carby The Seal-Woman
Catriona Hewitson The Seal-Sister
Joseph Doody The Islesman

Arthur Bruce First Fisher

To Be Cast Second Fisher

To Be Cast The Water-Kelpie

To Be Cast Three Swan-Maidens

Our recording team are Matthew Bennett (Recording Producer), Dave Rowell (Recording Engineer), and Andrew H. King (Executive Producer).

Thank you to those who have already supported us:

Friends | The Bantock Estate | The Nicholas Boas Trust | Vint Cerf (Patron) | The Rebecca Clarke Society | Jenny Collinson | John Grimshaw (Life Member) | The Francis Routh Trust | Judith Waddicor (Patron) | Tim Wood-Woolley

Members | Helen Brown | Peter Christie | Michael Sharp | Michael Symes | Roger W. Turner (Life Member)

Sponsors | Drew Adams | Ian Rutland Boughton | David Brown | Bill Davy | John Diamond | Natsuko Hirakura | Michael Jones | Helen Pankhurst | John Taylor

Supporters | Michael Allis | In memory of Pat Bishop and Kate Rhodes | Jacquie Hibbert | Leanne Langley | Joyce Roebuck | Derek B. Scott | Keiko Shirakawa | David Shuker | Anthony Thorley | John Ward | Helen Weatherhead | Mark Welling | Stephen Woodward | 1 anonymous donor