Quickening the Dead, for soprano saxophone and two pianos, was commissioned by Bacchanalia, and first performed in Edinburgh in January 1998. The piece was inspired by C.G. Jung’s ‘Sept Sermones Ad Mortuos’.
Unseen Shadows, for violin and piano, was written in 1996 for Tomas and Steven to play at the 60th birthday of Anthony Gilbert.
In the Clear, for solo flute, was commissioned by Nancy Ruffer and first performed at Worden Arts Centre, Leyland, in April 1998. The piece was inspired by a poem in Sylvia Plath’s ‘Letters Home’.
One Flesh, for treble viol and lute, was written as a wedding present for Susanna Pell and Jacob Heringman, who first performed the piece in Mallorca in November 1999.
Tjarn, for solo piano, was commissioned by Steven Wray, and first performed at The Warehouse, London, in June 1999. The piece was written following a visit to Innonimate Tarn, in the Lake District.
O Ignis Spiritus, for counter-tenor, two tenors and baritone, was written for The Hilliard Ensemble in 1993. The texts are by Hildegard of Bingen, William Blake, William Wordsworth and Andrew Keeling. The setting of William Blake’s ‘Auguries of Innocence’ is written in memory of Molly and Nick Drake.
Off the Beaten Track, for viola and prepared piano, was commissioned by Cathy Stevens and first performed at the Guildhall School of Music, London, in November 1999. The piece was inspired by a walk on Red Screes, a mountain in the English Lake District, in March 1999.
