Premiere of Eye to Eye

The world premiere of my latest piece ‘Eye to Eye’ took place at The Cadogan Hall a week ago - 16th September.  The concert, in the presence of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, was in aid of St. John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, and the programme was rich and varied. The English Chamber Orchestra played beautifully under the direction of Jason Lai, and there were memorable offerings from Charlie Siem (violinist), the Raven Quartet (with whom I've had the pleasure of working with before) and Claire Jones. My new piece finished the programme and was wonderfully interpreted by the Palestinian soprano Dima Bawab. My thanks also go to Jason for his sensitive interpretation.  We have just heard that a generous sponsor has come forward to ensure the recording of 'Eye to Eye' later this year. I am thrilled that it will now be heard be a wider audience.

Premiere of How Hill

On Saturday, the Royal Harpist Claire Jones premiered my new piece ‘How Hill’ at the Summer Reception of North Norfolk District Council. How Hill is one of the most beautiful spots on the Norfolk Broads with its distinctive windmill, majestic thatched house and sweeping lawns by the side of the River Ant. The new piece is to appear on my next album due for release in November. It was marvellous to be able to show Claire the exact spot which had inspired the music and, as usual, she played not only with real technical prowess but also an in-depth understanding of the music’s sentiments. Claire and her partner Chris spent the weekend with us, and here we are in the garden before saying goodbye yesterday. Thank you Claire for your friendship and your wonderful playing!

Eye to Eye Premiere at the Cadogan Hall

I am currently working on a new composition for premiere at the Cadogan Hall on Wednesday, September 16th 2009. The occasion is a major fundraising concert in aid of the St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group. The English Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by Jason Lai (of BBC 'Maestro' fame) and will be joined by a whole array of wonderful artists. My new piece will be called' Eye to Eye'. It is a setting of words by my brother Andrew and will feature soprano, harp and clarinet solos against a backdrop of string quartet and orchestra. You can read more about the concert and the Eye Hospital here.

Inspiration in the Chilterns

Earlier this week, I spent a few days with some friends who run a wonderful B & B in the Chilterns. The house backs on to open fields and, at the moment, they are full of the most beautifull flax blossom. Sue is a fantastic gardener and it was a joy to walk around and soak up the peace and quiet. Some exciting musical ideas formulated while I was there - in particular, the opening to a Te Deum!

If you want a few days away from it all, yet within close proximity of London and the M25, you should certainly consider giving Field Cottage a try. The proprieters are Sue and Mike Jepson and the phone number is 01494 837602.

Organ Recital at Worstead Parish Church on Friday 26th June at 7.30 pm

I am giving an organ recital this coming Friday at 7.30 pm in the beautiful church of Worstead near North Walsham in Norfolk. Worstead was the original home of Worstead cloth and, though now a small village, it was once a thriving, wealthy community. For this reason, it has a very large church - almost on the scale of a cathedral! The organ is lovely too and the acoustics are fantastic. Do come along and listen. Entrance is only £5 (all of which goes to the church) and this includes wine and nibbles afterwards. I will have CDs and scores on sale. Among other things, I am playing a Handel Organ Concerto, Elgar's Nimrod, some Scarlatti, a new piece by Nick Barton (a local composer) and my new Toccata which appears as the final track on my latest album 'Song of Songs'. Hope to see you there!

Free Download of the Moonlight Sonata (first movement)

You can read on my homepage about how this recording came into being. John Timperley was one of the greatest sound engineers of all time - and a lovely guy too. I'll never forget playing this piece for him on a lovely summer morning after a cup of tea and a chat. Download here and enjoy!

Song of Songs Quiet Day at Edenham, Lincolnshire

Not so long ago, a friend and colleague met my brother Andrew who is a priest and poet in Lincolnshire. She commented that, having met him, she finally understood ME! Certainly, we are peas in a pod, and there is nobody else I work with who is on quite the same wavelength as Andy. He has written words for me since I was at school and it was Andy who came up with the ideas of The Wedding at Cana and the Lazarus Requiem. He wrote the words too for my best-known piece Quanta Qualia.

Every year or so I lead a quiet day at his vicarage near Bourne in Lincolnshire. Known as the Regional House, there are retreats, meetings and quiet days there most days of the week. The hundreds of people who associate with the house bring to it a marvellous atmosphere of warmth, hospitality and spirituality. In the photo above, you can see those who joined Andy and me last week. Andy spoke about the three main areas of the Song of Songs - desire, intimacy and union/marriage. I then added to what he had said and spoke about the way these things are reflected in the actual music. There were breaks throughout the day for people to reflect, a midday Mass and a delicious lunch. We finished with Perfect Love and The Lord's Prayer - and the Toccata formed a suitable Recessional!

Andy and I are in the middle of the photo. On the very left is the old French Assistant from my secondary school. (We hadn't met for almost forty years!) Hidden in there too is Pauline, a remarkable, visionary lady. She would like to form a prayer support group to assist Andy and me in our work. I'll be posting an e mail address for her if you are interested in getting involved.