Or Bombasticity II, takes us back to the beginning of the recital. Genesis did an album in 1979 in which the opening returns at the end, and the way they did it always gripped me. This is a similar effort, to close this cyclic recital. So after drifting through the sky above the clouds, we sink right back to a…
The Scourged Back is the name of a photograph, taken in 1863. It's of the lacerated back of a Louisiana slave known as Whipped Peter, you can imagine how awful this photograph is. I can't show it here. This is the story of his escape from his plantation and arrival in Baton Rouge, where he joined the Union army in…
An African legend, of a young girl, her capture and escape from an evil ogre, and the hideous death inflicted on him by the girl's father. Lots of detailed storytelling, many scenes and atmospheres, and 'curtain calls' from the main characters at the end!
1. Fury. 2. All You Need is... 3. Moods of Echoes. The three are not really a suite, but work best each on their own as solo pieces with three very different inspirations behind them. Plus postage, they're £10 each one, or £25 if you want to play all three. Bargain!
There’s a glorious picture of Glastonbury Tor, and I’ve yet to find the photographer who took it. This piece is entirely based on this one incredible image, mostly bright orange, of the sunset mists across the fields, rooks rising from foreground trees, and the magnificent monument itself, just rising on its tor above the clouds.
This is for chamber orchestra, and was commissioned by the City of London Sinfonia for their brilliant 1st trumpet player, Nick Betts. I’ve known Nick a long time and I know his distinctive playing very well. So that made it easier and more satisfying to write for him, as I knew pretty much exactly how he would sound. A few…
