Mighty River

• In Wallen’s one-movement orchestral work, Mighty River, the composer integrates Spirituals and contemporary classical techniques.
  • Listen for – Wallen quotes “Amazing Grace” at the start. The piece also references “Deep River” and “Go Down Moses.”
• The work was written in 2017 to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in Britain.¹
• When interviewed about the work, Wallen noted:

“It is an innate human instinct to be free, just as it is a law of nature that the river should rush headlong to the sea. That is the concept behind Mighty River.

“Slavery claimed the lives of countless people, but somehow my ancestors found the grit and determination to persist in spite of the conditions in which they found themselves. I dedicate Mighty River to my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother. Though I never knew her, I am driven on by her courage in the face of dreadful odds and am inspired by her example not merely to survive, but to thrive.”²

1. Liam McMahon, “Errollyn Wallen discusses her New Music Biennial piece “Mighty River,'” New Music Biennial (2017), accessed February 26, 2025, https://www.newmusicbiennial.co.uk/errollyn-wallen-discusses-new-music-biennial-piece-mighty-river/.
2. Ibid.