The Glory Tree

The Glory Tree is a song cycle for solo soprano and chamber ensemble by the British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad. It was first performed in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre in June 2005.
Composition.
"The Glory Tree" was inspired by Shamanic rituals and is set to the text of Old English poems, including "Dream of the Rood" and "Judith". Frances-Hoad described the composition in the score program notes, writing:
Structure.
"The Glory Tree" has a duration of roughly 15 minutes and is composed in five connected movements:
Frances-Hoad detailed the structure of the composition, writing:
Instrumentation.
The work is scored for a solo soprano, clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), violin, cello, and piano.
Reception.
Reviewing a 2011 recording of the piece, Andrew Clements of "The Guardian" lauded "The Glory Tree", writing, "There's something engagingly freewheeling about Frances-Hoad's works, the feeling that she is quite unselfconscious about the music she writes and oblivious to how others might categorise it." Barry Witherden of "BBC Music Magazine" similarly remarked, "Refreshingly, on this evidence, Frances-Hoad's allegiances are to mainstream modernism, rather than the various popular post-modernist ‘isms’. Her compositions may tend towards the sternly ascetic, but they are full of feeling and memorable gestures. Ivan Hewett of "The Daily Telegraph" was slightly more critical, writing, "Frances-Hoad's skill at creating a rich texture from modest chamber forces is astonishing. But the Gothic strain can be oppressive, and isn’t always balanced by her lighter, witty side."
Recordings.
A recording of "The Glory Tree" was released on 28 June 2011 through Champs Hill Records and features Frances-Hoad's other chamber works "Memoria", "My Fleeting Angel", "The Snow Woman", "The Ogre Lover", "Invocation", "Bouleumata", and "Melancholia".