My Christian faith is very important to me and it had an influence on this work, but I also had at the back of my mind some of the oldest tales of England, the Arthurian legends, when developing this piece. The opening Allegretto evokes a bygone age and its lilting phrases reflect the contours of the timeless English landscape. By contrast, feminine and tender in impulse, the Sarabande passes between the spiritual and the courtly worlds. The final movement Allegro Marziale, introduces a vision of heroic England and challenges the clarinetist to some trumpet-like, high writing to express this triumphant view of England.

As in the poetry of William Blake, we are presented with a picture of the present day pregnant with the past that has shaped it. And why not end with a top C, the highest note in the clarinet’s range, to complete this celebration of England past and yet simultaneously present!