COMPOSER’S NOTE

Written on a cool spring day when I lived in a boathouse on the River Thames in Berkshire.  I was struck first by the pure rain falling on the murky water, and then by the sweet smell and freshness of the air once the rain had stopped.  All seemed well with the world as if things had been renewed.

Written for The Duke Quartet this piece features on my album Fair Albion.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

In 2012 I was very pleased to be asked by Decca Records to write a whole album on the theme of angels.  The resulting album – Angel – recorded with the Choir of New College Oxford and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, went straight in at Number One in the UK classical charts.

In this piece for solo violin, strings and harp, the presence of angels is conveyed in a more abstract way.  The composition is dedicated to my father who once saw angels.  The title comes from a hymn tune by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) and the character of his melody is reflected in the F major tonality and string contours.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

Ascension was written in celebration of Ascension Day and was borne out of the image of the flag of St. George flying high above the churches across the land.  It aims not only to express the joy of The Ascension but also a feeling of being directed skywards on a bright, sunlit day.

Written for The Raven Quartet it featured on my album Fair Albion: Visions of England.

1. Allegretto
2. Sarabande
3. Allegro Marziale

Patrick Hawes’s Clarinet Concerto [is] musically nourishing…a fine work….gorgeous…”  GRAMOPHONE

“Two words come to mind for this work: gorgeous and lyrical.”  THE CLARINET

COMPOSER’S NOTE

The clarinetist Emma Johnson and I met through very modern means – via Twitter – and soon began to discuss me writing a new work for her upcoming album An English Fantasy.  We met in person in London in early 2015 and discussed the range and emotional tone of the piece and then I retreated to my home in Norfolk to work.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

This work for one and harp was written for the oboist James Turnbull and was inspired by a photograph called ‘Earth Rise’ that was taken by Apollo 8 in December 1968.  It was the first time humankind caught a glimpse of the planet from deep space.  The Apollo missions changed the way we view our existence, showing how fragile and small the Earth actually is.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

Gloriette was written for, and first performed by, internationally-acclaimed cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.  The piece was commissioned by the Leeds Castle Foundation, and named after the medieval building in which it was first performed.

Leeds Castle is one of the most beautiful buildings in the country and dating from the 13th Century, it was home to many of the medieval Queens of England and was transformed into a royal palace by Henry VIII for Catherine of Aragon.

The history of the building is reflected in the nostalgic opening melody of this work which forms the prelude to moments of turbulence and drama as well as passages of real tenderness.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

Written for violinist Jack Liebeck and pianist Piers Lane and premiered at the Wigmore Hall.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

In 2002, I was approached by the director Paul Johansson to write the music for his film ‘The Incredible Mrs Ritchie‘ starring Gena Rowlands, James Caan and Kevin Zegers.

High school principal Harry Dewitt (Caan) believes student Charlie (Zegers) stole local retiree Evelyn Ritchie’s (Rowlands) handbag, so he arranges a punishment that puts the boy to work in the old woman’s garden.  From the start, Charlie is puzzled by the widow, who believes she can talk to her dead husband’s spirit.  But, as he spends more time with Evelyn and her two mentally challenged sons, he begins to lose his anger and see life in a different way.

Pavane is the main theme from the film.  The simple guitar melody reflects Mrs Ritchie’s garden and her faith that all things can be reconciled in nature.  The climax of the Pavane comes at the end of the film and speaks of love’s triumph over death.

I went on to create a version for solo piano which featured on the album Towards the Light.

In 2018, international star Sarah Brightman asked me to rework Pavane for her album ‘Hymn’.  The award-winning librettist David Zipple came up with the words and the title ‘You’ and it was recorded in Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus.  Read more >

COMPOSER’S NOTE

From 2006-2007 I was Classic FM’s composer in residence, and was commissioned to write twelve calming pieces for piano.  For the resulting album – Towards The Light – I arranged a piano version of my piece Pavane as a bonus track.

The original piece for guitar and chamber orchestra is the main theme from the film ‘The Incredible Mrs Ritchie‘.  The simple guitar melody reflects Mrs Ritchie’s garden and her faith that all things can be reconciled in nature.  The climax of the Pavane comes at the end of the film and speaks of love’s triumph over death.

In 2018, international star Sarah Brightman asked me to rework Pavane for her album ‘Hymn’.  The award-winning librettist David Zipple came up with the words and the title ‘You’ and it was recorded in Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus.  Read more >

1. Allegro eroico
2. Andante amoroso
3. Jubiloso

COMPOSER’S NOTE

“It’s very direct, it’s very honest, it’s very melodic and it’s very beautiful.”  Peter Jablonski, pianist

Written for the pianist Peter Jablonski, the concerto has multiple inspirations and ‘represents a journey of hope and love which finds its destination in the all-encompassing glory of God.’   This is a journey of excitement and – above all – majesty, through the pain of loss and bereavement, through to victory and the fulfilment of hope.

The heroic main theme of the first movement is contrasted with the more ethereal, plainsong-based second theme.  The atmosphere is sometimes turbulent, and sometimes tender, but the overall mood is one of confident optimism which is clearly displayed, for instance, in the cadenza and the militaristic style of the final section.

The second movement centres around the pain and sorrow of human bereavement.  Muted strings introduce the emotive first theme before it is taken up by the piano.  A folk-like second theme on the oboe is then woven into a structure which is partly elegiac and partly strophic.  Towards the middle, there is a brief reference to the fanfare rhythms of the first movement before the plaintive atmosphere returns and rippling piano figurations steer this movement to a fragile close.

Marked ‘jubiloso’, the finale tells of the triumph of light over darkness as witnessed by Christ’s disciples on the first Easter morning.  The oscillating strings grow from the dying embers of the second movement and underscore the dialogue between horns and trombones which, in turn, speak of victory and great majesty.  Contrast is provided by the scherzando sections – innocent, even childlike, in nature – and by the occasional cessation of rhythms within the main beat which provide moments of reflection for the listener.  As the concerto drives towards its close, the rhythms become more pulsating before orchestra and piano reach a triumphant consummation.

The concerto received its world premiere at the Enescu Festival in September 2021.