Programme Note Newfoundland poet John Steffler's book The Grey Islands is a sequence of prose and lyric verse pieces which tell the story of a man who leaves the mainland behind to spend a summer retreat on a remote and deserted island off the Newfoundland coast. This is a journey of discovery, his finding of place, his placing of self. Throughout the journey, he reflects on the Newfoundlanders he meets (Nels and Cyril) and thinks of his wife Karen and their children left behind in Ontario. For my original interpretation of The Grey Islands, I chose thirteen pieces, alternating between prose and verse, in the order in which they appear in Steffler's book. For this arrangement (Voice and Piano) I have omitted the fourth and eighth movements. The eleven movements of this version are centred around the sixth movement. The other movements are arranged in a loose parallel structure so that the musical and textual material in the various movements can be contrasted and compared. The verse selections are sung by the Soprano, while the prose pieces are spoken. Although this work is firmly rooted in a specific cultural milieu (the Newfoundland that John Steffler and I have experienced for ten years now), I believe that the brilliance of John's text transcends these specifics and creates a moving portrait of Everyman's search for his identity. The Grey Islands was commissioned by the Webern Trio of St. John's through a grant from the Canada Council, and is dedicated to them. Movements: 1. the island 2. grey silk we sway on 3. I thought I was headed for silence 4. in this space and solitude 5. Nels 6. today a sadness in the light itself 7. what can we do in such elements? 8. the cemetery 9. things here flower in death 10. a strange shaking 11. a small crack first in the morning's spell The text of John Steffler's The Grey Islands is used by permission of McLelland and Stewart.