Wild Nights – Wild Nights!

Emily Dickinson's poem Wild Nights - Wild Nights! is gloriously abandoned, and is suggestive of the depths of her passion for her sister-in-law, Susan ('Susie') Gilbert. In one of Emily's letters to Susie, she says 'for what shall separate us from any whom we love', which I also set in the middle section. I always allow words to dictate the musical material, and so decided to emphasise her repetition of the words of the poem's title, move between sultry and more impassioned moments, and add plenty of cheeky breaths in there. It's a piece celebrating queer joy.

This piece was commissioned by the LGBTQ+ London ensemble The Fourth Choir, and premiered at Milton Court, Barbican in 2023. It was released on their debut album, Songs of Ourselves (Orchid Classics, 2025).