Muckle Flugga, a small rocky island north of Unst in the Shetland Islands, is the northernmost point of the British Isles. The name comes from old Norse “Mickla Flugey” meaning ‘large steep-sided island’, and, according to local folklore, two giants, Herma and Saxa, fell in love with the same mermaid and fought over her by throwing large rocks at each other, one of which became Muckle Flugga. To get rid of these rivals, the mermaid offered to marry whichever one followed her to the North Pole but both drowned since neither could swim. In 1854 Thomas and David Stevenson started to build the lighthouse on Muckle Flugga, ostensibly to protect British ships during the Crimean War but also to prevent all sailing vessels from floundering in this wild and dangerous place. Evidently, from the day it was finished, the lighthouse has not let in a drop of water, such was the brilliance of the pioneering Stevenson family whose lighthouses can be see all around the Scottish coast. The music deals with giants, laments for the souls of the drowned and the lighthouse, all in the context of wild seas and violent winds, whilst also reflecting man’s attempt, not to control nature, but to do the best he can in the face of nature. Originally written for Brass Band (for which it won a British Composer Award in 2014) this version for large symphony orchestra was made in 2018.