It was a treat to attend the Waverley Singers concert on Sunday 22 June 2025 at St Mary’s Church in Frensham, and to hear the premiere of my new work Five Nocturnes.
“The five short pieces, or Nocturnes, reflected varying moods: by turns rhapsodic, contemplative, hypnotic and hymn-like, sensitively setting the text with solo instruments weaving in and out of the texture alongside the piano.
“The choir, superbly conducted by Richard Pearce and accompanied by Ian Scott on clarinet and Joseph Spooner on cello, gave a committed performance of the complex and stylistically challenging music, which sets five poets exploring different aspects of night-time, including Rumi and Christina Rossetti.
Five Nocturnes received a warm ovation from the capacity audience in the idyllic setting of St Mary’s Church in the presence of the composer.”
Read a review of concert by Sarah Hard.
About the work
Five Nocturnes was composed in response to a commission from the Waverley Singers in memory of former choir member, Josephine Reader. While searching for texts to set, I was struck by Ivor Gurney’s ‘Rewards of Wonder’ (1919-20), a collection that offers a vivid tapestry of imagery and emotion. This discovery sparked the idea of assembling a collection of texts by different poets, each exploring the varied moods and meanings of the night.
The result is a cycle that sets five different poems to music, bringing together multiple voices, united by the shared theme of night-time reflection – from the setting of the sun to its rising again the following morning.
If you’d be interested in seeing a score, please contact me directly.
