Adagio for Strings

A pastoral theme and variations reminiscent of early 20th century British composers such as Coates and Bridge. The recording is of the world premiere performance by the Peninsula Strings, under the direction of Michael Reason.

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Adventure Symphony

A symphony written in the style of music for action adventure movies. Watching films of this genre is one of my favourite "down" time occupations.

Concertino for Trumpet

The Concertino for Trumpet is a bright, joyful concert piece composed for the instrument I played in my youth and inspired by virtuosi like Maurice Andre and Wynton Marsalis. Ah, how I wish I had played like this ...

Concerto for Clarinet & Orchestra

The concerto, written for B-flat clarinet, explores the versatility and expressive range of the solo instrument - not least of all its four octave range, from sultry lows to lyrical mid-range and screaming highs.

Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra

A very early work that needs serious revision, particularly to the outer movements. The remaining movement, with its flamenco allusions, still has some appeal and is presented here.

Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra

Writing for an instrument that seems to have a zest for life, its difficult not to imagine virtuosic passages. The pitfall (hopefully avoided in this work) is forgetting to allow the soloist sufficient places to breathe!

English Suite

This piece is based on the composer's memories of England, where he was born and raised. The four movements follow the seasons.

Memory and distance have a way of filtering events, so this is undoubtedly a very 'impressionistic' work!

In "Winter's Gift", the 4th movement featured here, you'll hear the pre-Christmas rush, excited children playing, church bells ringing, family reunions, and the occasional snowstorm blowing a Dickensian touch over the landscape (or is it the Grinch....).

Just wait 15 minutes ...

This orchestral piece was was written to celebrate the 30th anniversary season of the Colorado Springs Chamber Orchestra.

The inspiration for and the overall theme of the piece is constant change in the region around Colorado Springs - particularly in the weather (hence the title), in the landscapes (seemingly a new vista around every corner) and during Colorado's history over the centuries (for example, from gold rush to aerospace) - all back-stopped by the ever present peaks of the magnificent Rocky Mountains.

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Latin Translations

With 3 short movements, this is my spin on what's generally referred to as "latin" music, in an orchestral setting.

The first part hints at latin rhythm rather than explicitly using any particular genre, especially since much of it is in 5/4 time, but at various points you may hear allusions to tango, habañera and mariachi. The second is a boisterous samba, and the final part is a slow, slinky salsa!

More Latin Translations

Latin Translations - my take on what's commonly called "latin" music - is now turning into an ongoing orchestral project. This is the second set of 3 pieces.

The first of these was inspired by the indigenous music of Mexico, although admittedly the final result is some way off the beaten mexican path. However the choice of 9/8 meter (with 2+2+2+3 beats to the bar) was intended to convey the sense of multiple rhythms that occurs in some genres of mexican music, and the instrumentation (albeit orchestral rather than small combo) is similar to that found in quite a lot of music from Mexico ... and with the guitar and trumpet solos I rest my case.

I sketched out the second movement in my head while wandering a Caribbean beach, listening to the sounds of the wind and waves and the occasional strains of merengue from the beachfront hotels. Hence the resulting "mash-up" from the orchestra that includes allusions to all of these elements.

The third piece uses a Cuban rumba rhythm as its base ... specifically, rhythm from the Guaguancó rumba style. When the music starts with timpani and tambourine you might think that you're listening to jazz, and not until the Chekere (shaker) and Claves percussion kick in does the rumba become fully apparent. In realty the rhythm is basically that of rumcba throughout, and I didn't hear this "effect" until I'd almost finished the piece; but it emphasizes that both jazz and latin music share African roots.

Northland

Northland is a project portraying in music the varied landscapes of the composer's adopted country, Canada.

It consists of six pieces completed over a period of ten years:

I: inspired by Canada's abundant forests.
II: celebrates the denizens of the very warm and very humid weather that pervades much of Canada during summer - small flying critters who bite!
III: inspired by Canada's high arctic. Vast stretches of ice and ocean. A stunning landscape full of exotic wildlife. Daunting, forbidding, and magnificent.
IV: a recollection of the sheer grandeur of Canada's mountainous regions, including the spectacular peaks of the Rockies and the picture-postcard beauty of the Laurentians.
V: a distinctly nautical flavour pervades this portrait of the awe-inspiring oceans and maritime regions.
VI: inspired by the Prairies. Everything here just seems bigger - the landscape, the sky and even the weather!

Ouverture Bourlesque

A whimsical, sometimes tongue-in-cheek piece intended as a concert curtain raiser and inspired by earlier masters of the genre such as Georg Philipp Telemann and Leopold Mozart.

While there is no explicit "programme" for the music, lively entertainments such as the circus came to mind during the writing.

Sonata for Orchestra

The piece is an eclectic combination of classical sonata form, full orchestra and themes in the style of American folk tunes.

This last influence is pretty obvious in the third movement, with its allusions to some well-known tunes, and in the first movement which harkens after the Hoedown!

The second movement slows things down and perhaps you'll feel a warm, sleepy summer afternoon in the wide open spaces.

Twelve

A theme and 12 variations, each of which uses the 12 tones of the chromatic scale.

The variations were developed using techniques such as retrograde and inversion. Essentially this is experimentation with serial techniques of composition to produce a work that sounds like it is based on more traditional approaches.

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Variations for String Orchestra

The opening , a 3-note motif played in the Violas, is the basis for all the music that follows.

The piece is in four sections played without a break:

- Introduction , Theme and Variations I
   (Largo-Adagio)
- Variations II, based on the theme inversion
   (Adagio)
- Variations III, based on the theme retrograde
   (Andante)
- Coda (Allegro)

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Variations on a dream

This work was built largely from improvisations, which you might think of as the musical equivalent of daydreaming.

After a loud wake-up chord from the brass, various sections of the orchestra trade fragments from which a theme eventually emerges. This theme is quickly dismissed in favour of episodic sections in which fragments derived from the theme are bolted together spontaneously. The only "planned" structure is the increased tempos for each section and a return to the opening format at the end.

The idea came to me as I was listening to some "art" music that one critic opined (pejoritively) sounded like it had been created through a process similar to action painting.

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