5 Facts About the String Arrangements on Five Leaves Left
- Robert Kirby, a friend from Nick Drake’s time at Cambridge University, arranged the string and woodwind parts for most of the album’s tracks.
- Kirby had no formal training in orchestration at the time, learning on the job for this project.
- His arrangements gave the album its distinctive, melancholic folk-orchestral sound.
- Kirby also worked on Drake’s later albums, Bryter Layter and Pink Moon.
- The strings were recorded with a small ensemble, not a full orchestra, keeping the sound intimate.