By homing in on New York’s rag trade during the early 20th century and, more specifically, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in which 146 workers lost their lives, American composer Julia Wolfe’s 2018 semi-staged oratorio is surely one of the most powerful pieces of our times. Fire In My Mouth is the story of young immigrant workers, mainly women, escaping the desperation of southern Italy or as Jews in Eastern Europe and Russia, to live the American dream.

With the sounds of their factory floor as seamstresses in New York resonating across the ever-adaptable forces of the Philharmonia, buzzy bows from the strings becoming sewing machines, or percussion bringing the workers’ new-found environment to life, the piece wound its way through four movements, namely Immigration, Factory, Protest and Fire.

Complementary visuals supported the narrative, but it was the voices of the girls and young women of the National Youth Choir Of Scotland, under conductor Marin Alsop, who transported the performance into a class of its own. Representing those who were killed, they sang from various locations in the Usher Hall, including down the aisles in the stalls, always with conviction, spot-on intonation, balance, blend and diction. 

Philharmonia Orchestra: Fire In My Mouth reviewed at Usher Hall as part of Edinburgh International Festival; main picture: Jess Shurte.