Fergus Hall

Laig Beach is a located on the north-west side of the Eigg, one of the small isles in the southern Hebrides. The piece was co-commissed in 2020 by Nevis Ensemble and the Jobson family who live in Eigg, close to Laig Beach. I spoke at length with the Jobsons about sea swimming which they do regularly at Laig Beach. I also enjoy sea swimming, something I share with my mum who does it regularly throughout the year. The piece is about the feeling of walking down the beach, stepping into the water and lowering yourself into surf. It is a very grounding experience and the cold water makes you feel entirely present in your body and your surroundings. 

It is a very quiet piece, reflective of having been written during a period that was, for many reasons, a very uncertain time. Thinking about it now, it feels to me to have a sense of quiet joyfulness which is what I think of when I swim in the sea.

My thanks go to the Jobson family for the conversations that inspired the piece, and to violinist Ye-Ye Xu, for whom the piece was written and whose influence made the piece what it is.