Composing music entitled: Walks and Views in Dorset for Concert Band which comprises pieces prompted by places we visit that inspire and lift us and that have a name which is associated with music or sound in some way.

There are 3 pieces in the first Set and in the process of being scored:
1 - Houns-Tout a majestic cliff and high vantage point to view the coast westward to Portland Bill. We walk from the Scott Arms in Kingston along the ridge above Enscombe House then down from Houns-Tout towards the small horseshoe bay of Chapmans Pool. Then up the escarpment to the ridge and walk past the Marines Band Memorial along to St Aldhems Head and the unusual 13th century church of St Aldhelm.
The small square church was the first structure to be detected by radar, appearing on the cathode ray tube in the research station which developed radar in the Second World War which was situated in the field adjacent to the chapel.
2 - Badbury Rings a large hill fort occupied by ancient people affording distant views to ridges on the surrounding horizons and a station on the ancient ley lines and Roman Roads which bisect the site.
3 - Dancing Ledge the remains of quarrying for stone to build the cities of Europe and now a sun trap and rock climbing mecca. The perfect place for endless dancing and merriment accompanied by the crashing waves, foaming surf and scudding clouds.

I was prompted to write for Concert Band at the request of Pat Ryan and The Band Of The West Midlands Fire Service and hope that they thoroughly enjoy playing and recording the piece in the near future.

The Concert Band instrumentation is: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, E flat clarinet, 1st 2nd and 3rd B flat clarinets, E flat alto clarinet, B flat bass clarinet, B flat contrabass clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, 2 bassoons, 2 Horn in F, 2 B flat trumpets, 3 B flat cornets, 2 euphoniums, 2 tubas, 3 percussion (including 3 Fire Buckets)

In early December 2009, with just over a week to go before the first rehearsal, Ian Stephens, Artistic Director of the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, e-mailed me and asked if I would be interested in a ‘challenge’ - to write the music for the songs of Nickolai of the North - an adaption by the author Lucy Daniel Raby of her best selling childrens novel. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the composer who had been initially approached to write the music was unable to do the task.

After burning the midnight oil I delivered 9 songs from the script although Lucy originally wrote 18 songs in the script. They were composed for the cast and two musicians; one playing piano, the other playing piccolo, flute, clarinet and alto saxophone

To read and hear a cast recording of the songs CLICK HERE to visit the NEW web pages and Read More...

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