I was chatting to Martin over Skype one Saturday evening during Yodit’s illness and said that I was sorry there was nothing I could do to help. Martin replied: ‘Actually, there is’. He suggested that if I were to write a few bars of music and Yodit could hear them, it might provide her with some comfort to know that people were thinking of her. I immediately set to work and 24 hours later – I have never produced anything at that speed before – I had written Song for Yodit, and sent it to Martin in the form of a MIDI realisation. Thus Yodit was able to hear the piece, and I believe it did help her in some small way [her immediate reaction was: ‘Wow! Wow!’ – MA]. It had its first performance at her funeral on 1 May 2015.
In simple ternary form, with a brief return of the central part and short coda, Song for Yodit is quite uncharacteristic of my other work, which mixes anger and consolation in fairly equal proportions; here there is only consolation.