LECTURE AND CONCERT

Well, it's been a busy few days!

Last week I delivered my lecture to the Temenos Academy (Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales).  Entitled 'The Emperor's New Clothes: A Vision of British Music in the 21st Century', I outlined where I think our nation's music is headed and where it needs to go, covering some very contentious issues along the way!!!  The transcript and audio recording will be available soon.

Then it was on to the beautiful Romsey Abbey to rehearse and conduct the Winchester Consort in a repeat of the sensational concert we gave in Winchester Cathedral a couple of years ago.  The concert was part of a the Romsey Festival and we had a really lovely programme of music: Vaughan Williams, Harris, Parry and a few of my works including The Twenty-Third Psalm, Out of the Depths and Song of Songs.  The consort sounded as fantastic as always.

BBC RADIO 3 - IN TUNE

Really enjoyed chatting to Suzy Klein on BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme yesterday.

Recorded in the main BBC Radio Broadcasting House, I was there to talk about the inspiration behind my new work 'Eventide: In Memoriam Edith Cavell' which is to be premiered in Norwich Cathedral on 12th July 2014.

We also discussed another premiere I have coming up connected with the First World War;  The Angel of Mons will be premiered in my brother's church in Edenham Lincolnshire, and they played an excerpt from it Out of the Depths which also appeared on my album Angel.

So lots happening and we had lots to talk about about!

Tickets for The Angel of Mons are now on sale at www.eventbrite.co.uk

SONGS FOR REMEMBRANCE

Do you sing in a choir?

Is your choir looking for new repertoire to mark the centenary of the First World War? 

Why not use some of these new works that I've written for various choirs, and be amongst the first choirs to perform the works after their premieres?

Click HERE for an interactive version of the advert to see the scores or hear excerpts of the music.

THE BIG DAY - ANGEL AT ST JOHN'S SMITH SQUARE

I got home late last night from London after an amazing few days.  We stayed very near to St John's Smith Square and I came to realise what a fantastic part of London this is. The weather was amazing on Sunday evening and it was great to feel like a tourist walking over Westminster Bridge past the London Eye and back through Whitehall.  We took the picture below of me outside St John's during our walk when we had a quick look around ahead of the big day.

Me outside St John's the night before the concert

Then came the day of the concert!  There was so much to do and I was lucky I could take a back seat from this as my manager Andy Berry took care of everything so I could focus on the music - getting the tea and coffee ready for the performers during the rehearsal, making sure that the risers on stage were out and at the right height, that seats and stands were in the right place and making sure everyone had their music etc etc.

In all we had five hours of rehearsals - Edward Higginbottom polished the choir-only items and then the orchestra arrived with the soloist singers.  The rehearsals ended with Clio Gould playing 'Angel Song' which left us all in a wonderfully mellow mood ahead of the concert.  

Then the audience started to arrive with lots of people buying tickets on the door and the hall was almost full.  As I walked on to the stage I could see a mass of faces and this really fired me up.  It was great to see some of the Classic FM team there including John Suchet, Jane Jones and Margherita Taylor.

L-R: John Suchet, me, Jane Jones

Every single item went according to plan and I couldn't have asked any more from the performers with wonderful solos by Nick Pritchard (tenor) and Grace Davidson (soprano).  The final cadence of Handel's 'Let their celestial concerts all unite' from Samson was nothing short of electric and sparked off rapturous applause.  For me to conduct such wonderful music by my absolute hero George Frideric Handel alongside my own music with world-class performers is an experience I will never forget.  Thank you to all who took part and thank you too to the warm appreciative audience.  

Taking a bow: Me with the RPO, Choir of New College Oxford, Edward Higginbottom, Nick Pritchard (tenor) and Grace Davidson (soprano)

ANGEL PHONE-IN (BBC RADIO NORFOLK)

Presenter Nick Conrad is a good friend of mine and it was really enjoyable today to be interviewed by him on his BBC Radio Norfolk show.  It's the longest radio interview I've ever had - a full 45 minutes.

During the interview he played four tracks from the Angel album, chatted with me about my inspirations, and received calls from various listeners to the show.  I was touched by how open people were when talking about their experiences of angels and I was so pleased we linked in Jacky Newcomb.  Jacky is an angel expert and best-selling author and spoke so much sense about the limitations of human perception and certainly enhanced my grasp of why so many people have difficulty believing in the invisible!

Nick and his producer are keen to have me back on the show soon so watch this space!

In case you missed the interview you can listen to it on the BBC iPlayer - scroll through to 02:14:14 to hear my bit.

P.S. Don't forget the Angel concert at St John's Smith Square this coming Monday!  Be sure to book ahead by clicking HERE.

ANGEL CONCERT - FINAL PREPARATIONS!

The final stages of my concert preparations are under way!  

It's only a week now until the Angel music is premiered at St John's Smith Square, London at 7:30pm on 9th June and I'm so looking forward to conducting the Choir of New College Oxford and the RPO again!

The concert has been months in the planning, starting in January with co-ordinating diaries for the choir, orchestra, venue and soloists, then organising the musical format for the evening and getting the right scores out to the right performers.  We've just collected the programmes that will be on sale at the concert and then there are all the little, but very important, details to do with rehearsal schedule, refreshments, dress, changing rooms etc etc!  

Now I need to focus on the music - these days I really like to conduct from memory so there is a lot of score preparation to do.  I've also decided that I want harp continuo in the three Handel pieces - this means getting some more parts prepared and sent off to the fantastic harpist and my good friend Hugh Webb.  

St John's is now reasonably full but, in a desire to see it packed, we are constantly in touch with people trying to get their help in promoting the event.  So, back to work!  

If you are reading this ahead of the concert I'd just like to say please come to the concert and do say hello afterwards!

Click here to buy your tickets for the Angel concert direct from the St John's Smith Square Box Office.

BBC WORLD WAR ONE AT HOME

Come and join me this Saturday (31st May) outside The Forum in Norwich where I'll be talking to BBC presenters David Whiteley and Nick Conrad as part of the BBC's World War I at Home tour of the country. 

I'll be talking about the war's influence on my work, including the Angel album and my new work about WWI heroine Edith Cavell. I'll also be playing my two piano pieces from the Angel album LIVE on stage!

I'll be on stage from 11:15 and again at 13:40.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01nhwgx/features/ww1-at-home-tour