Renowned Scottish composer and pianist, Alexander Chapman Campbell, collaborated with the great singer Julie Fowlis on a new single and music video titled “Where Now A Dark Wood Stands,” released on March 21st in commemoration of the UN International Day of Forests. Composed by Campbell, both the music and lyrics of the single and its accompanying video serve the purpose of shedding light on a significant environmental issue: the diminishing biodiversity observed in UK conifer plantations.
Alexander said: “My music is often inspired by the richness and beauty of nature, but for the first time, through this single and film, I’ve directly explored the relationship between humans and the natural world.
“Many UK woodlands, especially in Scotland, are intensely managed timber plantations. These densely planted conifers, where light struggles to reach the woodland floor, become dark, artificial forests that cannot support a broad range of life. The issue is complex, and improvements are being made. But vast areas of land are still being planted with these ‘dark woods’ – woods that do not respect the connectivity, beauty and complexity of life.
“With many European countries demonstrating healthier ways of producing timber, and with nature struggling all around us, now is the time for the UK to create a new kind of wood – a place of light and life where now a dark wood stands.”
The lyrics, sung by Julie Fowlis in Scottish Gaelic, bear a simple but powerful message which translate in English to, We heard a whisper, a rumor / While walking through a barren land / That one day a place of light and life will be / Where now a dark wood stands.
The music video was released on the same day as the single. Made by Hugh Carswell, and produced by Maker on the Isle of Jura, the emotionally powerful video was shot in a timber plantation near Alexander’s home in the North-East Highlands.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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