Sally Beamish (born London, 1956) is among the most respected British composers of her generation, one who began composing at the age of four and has placed emotional directness and lyrical warmth at the heart of her music. The Caledonian Road and The Day Dawn are substantial orchestral works that draw on Beamish's deep connection to Scotland, where she has lived and worked. 'No, I'm Not Afraid' sets six poems by the Russian dissident poet Irina Ratushinskaya (translated by David McDuff), a cycle of extraordinary expressive power in which the voice, in a series of songs and interludes, moves from vulnerability to quiet defiance. Beamish wrote the work as part of a collaborative project between the Swedish and Scottish Chamber Orchestras.