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

This piece conveys a panoramic pastoral scene, particularly inspired by the undulating Wolds of Lincolnshire, the county in which I was born and lived in until my early twenties, and also the peak district of Yorkshire and Derbyshire and the warmth of the people who live there.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

In 2011, I felt extremely honoured to be commissioned by Novello’s to write this concert-opener for the Best of British concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

The Fanfare aims to capture the celebratory mood of the occasion and also pave the way for Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens which followed it in the concert.  The combination of three trumpets, three trombones and tuba offers plenty of opportunity for textural variety and dialogue between the contrasting registers.

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

1. Goddess of the Woods
2. The Wildflower Meadow
3. Sanctuary
4. The Gladiator

HM King Charles III (then HRH The Prince of Wales) congratulating Patrick after the premiere of the Highgrove Suite

The Highgrove Suite began as a one-movement piece entitled Goddess Of The Woods and received its premiere at Covent Garden on the occasion of The Prince Of Wales’ sixtieth birthday in November 2008.  Three further movements were commissioned, each inspired by a different area of the gardens at Highgrove.  The suite was first performed by the Royal Harpist Claire Jones and the Philharmonia in June 2010 at Highgrove in the presence of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and invited guests.

When I first visited the Highgrove gardens in the summer of 2008, I was looking for inspiration for a new work for harp and strings.  To my mind, the florid sounds of the harp and the rich texture of a string orchestra immediately lent themselves to a horticultural theme, and so it was The Stumpery with its mystical, timeless atmosphere that gave rise to Goddess of the Woods, named after the beautiful statue which sits in this wooded glade surrounded by ferns, gnarled tree stumps and a pair of mischievous leprechauns.

With the decision to convert this one piece into a four-movement suite came further visits to Highgrove, and I was thoroughly inspired by witnessing the different seasons weaving their individual characters into the landscape of this special place.  The second movement The Wildflower Meadow is a ‘paen’ of joy, sometimes tinged with nostalgia and a sense of wonder.  Here the garden is at its most free – free to rejoice in its own shapes, textures and colours and relatively free to grow without man’s interference.

The Sanctuary sits in the magnificent arboretum.  The lofty, sweeping trees almost create the effect of a great cathedral, and sitting humbly within its walls is the chapel built by His Royal Highness to mark the new millennium.  Above the entrance to The Sanctuary are the words ‘Lighten our darkness we beseech thee O Lord’ which are taken from the Third Collect at evening prayer and it is this prayer which forms the foundation of the third movement.  The central melody is, in effect, a plainsong setting of the words, and the slow-building climaxes within the music suggest that this is a place which can touch the heart deeply.

The statue of The Gladiator has always fascinated me – so handsome, majestic and fearless.  One January morning, in thick snow, I followed its line of sight down The Thyme Walk to the house itself.  It was then that the strident bass patterns of this last movement came to be together with the defiant and energetic harp and string melody.

The Gladiator is portrayed mid-stride.  He is almost alive, communicating with the birds and calling to attention the armies of topiary which stand in defence o the house.  In the same way that The Goddess of the Woods distils her gentle magic into the air, so The Gladiator radiates strength and dignity, promising that the garden and all it represents will remain safe and fruitful for generations to come.

COMPOSER’S NOTE

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