Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Helsinki)

The play was written as a gift for the 50th birthday of composer Brian Ferneyhough, Saariaho`s teacher.
The text is based on Caliban`s monologue from William Shakespeare`s play The Tempest (`Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises...`).
The song later became part of a larger vocal cycle by Saariaho called `Tempest Songbook`.
The ensemble in the original version consists of baritone, clarinet, mandolin, guitar, harp and double bass.
In 1995 a revised version appeared: bass, alto flute, harpsichord and cello.