CANE FIRES
Mezzo-soprano, piano
6 minutes
Cane fires from the cabin of a plane is a text written at a time of great change in the poet Emily Bishai's life as she begins her journey from South Africa to study for three years in the USA. The poem is set in two opposing perspectives from the window seat of an airplane; the speaker observes the calmness and order of the distant cane fires seen below (a technique used to control the growth and harvest of sugar), whilst imagining the immediate chaos and confusion of the cane farmers who have been performing this ritual for centuries.
Premiered by Emma Roberts & Gamal Khamis at Ludlow English Song Weekend 2021.
If you like CANE FIRES, you may also be interested in: A MOMENT or SOMETHING EXCITING