Friday a.m.
This expansive miniature was written in 1981 and was my response to the emotional impact of listening to the Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th Symphony, hence my dedication: with apologies to Gustav. Indeed, the main melody of my piece follows the melodic line of Mahler’s, but takes off in a different direction and ‘gradually metamorphoses into a lighter style reminiscent of a jazz improvisation…..as though we move from the philharmonic hall in Central Europe to a Manhattan jazz club around 2am, when everything is subdued and transient’ (McLachlan).
Although written many years ago, the piece is a rather personal creative utterance …
Read MoreThree Études
The first of these Études was written in memory of Mark Ray, former Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), who died in tragic circumstances in 2006. It makes use of syncopated rhythms and percussive articulation, with a passing reference to Ravel’s G major concerto, the work he performed in concert when he was a student at the RNCM. The Étude was premiered by Peter Lawson in 2006.
Études 2 and 3 were added to complete the set in 2020. Étude 2 is dedicated to Murray McLachlan, and is a study in textural control, with …
Read MoreThe World Rejoicing
The World Rejoicing was commissioned by the National Brass Band Associations of Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the British Open, as the test piece for their competitions in 2020/21. Although the work was completed in 2019, the pandemic of 2020 meant that these competitions were postponed until 2021/22. The premiere will now take place in September 2021 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK.
In searching for a common link between the brass band traditions of the various European countries that commissioned this work, I considered the fact that hymns have always played an important role in the relationship that brass bands …
Read MoreSarabande and Tarantella
In 2016 I composed two miniatures, both dedicated to friends: the first was written in fond memory of the composer John McCabe, who sadly died before his time; whilst the second was written as a belated 70th birthday present for the recorder player John Turner.
They were originally written for recorder and piano, but in 2018 I orchestrated them for a recording made in 2018, and at the same time re-titled the work. The Sarabande (sub-titled John’s Farewell) is a short, simple, but wistful. John loved Italian and French music and this little piece has something of the …
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