Lisa Robertson: Sluaisreadh

Sluaisreadh is an onomatopoeic Gaelic word meaning the peaceful sound of the sea ebbing and swirling against the shore. The piece journeys from this tranquil sound to increasingly destructive, dangerous sea sounds which are the consequences of climate change. The piece transitions through sections, each one representing a Gaelic word used to describe types of sea sounds in different contexts: sluaisreadh (swirling), cireasail (giggling), glumaradh (glugging against a boat), seathan (rolling on a wide open sea), ròcail (croaking, roaring into a cave), sachdadh (wheezing), corghlaich (noisy confusion), gaoir (wailing), sad (venomous). The wealth of such evocative descriptions is testament to the profound connection to the sea in Gaelic culture. Material is derived from the speech rhythms of these words and two Gaelic songs about the sea. Instrumental parts blend with field recordings I took of the sea in my home area, Morvern in the West Highlands, during different weather conditions. Note by Lisa Robertson Recorded live at LSO St Luke's on Saturday 10 January 2026. Daniel Shao flute David Alberman violin Chihiro Ono viola Valerie Welbanks cello Rachael Gibson electronics Gregor Sinclair Videographer #LondonSymphonyOrchestra #ContemporaryMusic #ChamberMusic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the LSO's channel: http://bit.ly/LSOsubscribe Subscribe to LSO newsletter: https://smarturl.it/lsonewsletter Follow the LSO on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonsymphonyorchestra Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/londonsymphonyorchestra TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@londonsymphonyorchestra Twitter: https://twitter.com/londonsymphony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-symphony-orchestra/ Website: https://lso.co.uk/ Apple Music: http://geni.us/yH0sXY Spotify: http://spoti.fi/291cCk0 LSO Live: https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/