The Mare’s Tale is inspired by a series of drawings by Clive Hicks-Jenkins based on the theme of the Mari Lwyd, one of the oldest Welsh midwinter traditions embodying pagan beliefs in the cult of the horse. Scored for the instrumental forces of Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale with the addition of a viola, composed by Mark Bowden with libretto by Damian Walford Davies and performed by the Berkeley Ensemble.