Commissioned by the BBC for the 1993 Promenade Concerts
Duration 26 minutes
Published by Schott
Recorded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra/Davis on NMC 027
A copy of the score is at The British Music Information Centre
Two audio extracts are available:
Extract 1 (Movement 1) - 407KB;
Extract 2 (Movement 2) - 1353KB
My magnum opus. Just as Corranach was prompted by Smollett so Hawthorn was initiated by Glyn Hughes' novel The Hawthorn Goddess.
This piece will possibly always represent the best of me. Certainly the response of the critics (and, just as importantly, the BBC players) was uniformly enthusiastic. I will always be grateful to the BBC for commissioning the piece but I also regret the near-certainty that no other orchestra in this country can probably afford to mount the necessary rehearsals (or number of players) to perform the work again.
"...the argument snowballs to its expansively lyrical coda with an exhilaratingly unstoppable energy which one senses has been honestly earned."
Max Loppert - Financial Times
"shuddering rhythms, massive, swirling textures, fragmented phrases, and, yes, lyrical tunes, all mixed together in a maelstrom of colour."
Stephen Pettitt - The Times
"...makes perfect sense as an abstract structure - a fast-slow-fast plan which is cogently argued and generates vivid orchestral writing."
Andrew Clemants - The Guardian
"...there are long, sinuous melodies which worm their way out of the orchestral textures only to be overwhelmed again; massive, threatening climaxes and a central movement of delicately coloured washes."
Andrew Clemants - The Guardian (review of NMC recording)
"...a remarkably satisfying experience ... everything sounds right and the finely wrought textures are totally gripping ... this splendid score."
Paul Driver - The Sunday Times
First performance given by the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra, conducted by Peter Stark.
Duration 16 minutes
Published by the composer
A copy of the score is at The British Music Information Centre.
Two audio extracts are available:
Extract 1 (Dance 2) - 505KB;
Extract 2 (Dance 3) - 427KB
Commissioned for the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra (who specially recorded the work on CD - a copy of which is at the BMIC) this piece creates a two-way dialogue with a motet in praise of St. Cecilia by the 16th-century Flemish composer Nicolas Gombert. The players of the HCYO loved the piece, which was technically just challenging enough to make them feel the difficulties were worth overcoming - the musical results were definitely worth the effort. The piece is sufficiently convincing as a musical argument to make it performable by any fully professional orchestra - there is no sense that the music has been 'written down' for students.
See also Mosaic
Commissioned by and first performed by the Nottingham Youth Orchestra, NAYO Festival, Edinburgh, August 2002.
Duration 11 minutes
Published by the composer
An audio extract is available:
Extract 1 - 3.2MB
Eleven minutes of serious fun for every section of the orchestra (who will need to be able to count!). As with Cecilia dances this piece stretches the youth orchestra rather than being written-down to their age-range.