Main Works
N U M B E R 1 D R A G O N
Main Works
You can download the scores for my pieces from here, print out, play and, if you wish, perform my pieces. I would just ask that if you are performing my pieces publically, you credit me as the composer of the work and state the title of the piece. I would love to know that you are playing my pieces and please do tell me.
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Four sketches after the Sonnets of Michaelangelo
"The “Four sketches after the Sonnets of Michaelangelo” draw upon four of Michaelangelo’s sonnets in lyrical response to the imagery and sentiment of the great artist’s poetry, from passionate love to intense remorse, in grief and faith, and upon art and beauty. Each sketch takes its title from a theme or reference in the sonnet itself.... " programme note
and text of the sonnets.
Four sketches after the Sonnets of Michelangelo / solo piano
Sketch I - “As from fire” - after Sonnet XXVIII
Sketch IV - “Make of my sunset” - after Sonnet XLVIII
My River runs to thee
"My River runs to thee" is a collection of Five pieces for solo piano after the beauitful and metaphorical poem by Emily Dickinson (1830–86) of that title:- "My River runs to thee. Blue sea, wilt thou welcome me? My river awaits reply. Oh! Sea, look graciously. I'll fetch thee brooks. From spotted nooks. Say, sea, Take me! "
My River runs to thee / solo piano
I My River
II Awaiting
II Blue Sea
IV Spotted nooks
V Will thou?
Sept Scènes d'Amour pour piano d'après Chagall
Sept Scènes d'Amour... / solo piano
I Roméo et Juliette
II Le Paysage bleu
III Les Mariés dans le Ciel de Paris
IV Les Amoureux de Vence
V L'Anniversaire
VI Le Bouquet et le cirque rouge
VII Les Mariés de la tour Eiffel
St Agnes Eve
"St Agnes Eve" is a four movement piece for solo piano inspired by and drawing upon the wonderful poem "The Eve of St. Agnes" by the English Romantic poet John Keats... Keats based his poem on the superstition that a girl could see her future husband in a dream if she performed certain rituals on the eve of St. Agnes (20th January) ... By the rituals, a girl would go to bed without any supper, undress herself and lie on her bed, naked, with her hands under the pillow, looking up to the heavens and not to look behind. Then her proposed husband would appear in her dream, kiss her, and feast with her. The movements of the Sonata follow the course of the poem:- Movement I - "St Agnes Eve" shares its title with the .." programme note
on "St Agnes Eve".
St Agnes Eve
Lover's Flight
A London Suite
There are of course many bells in London, none more familiar perhaps than those in the old famous rhyme ("To Ring the Bells of London Town" which includes not least "Oranges and Lemon say the bells of St Clements"). I've always thought that bells have a special place in our lives, their sound quite unmatched by other instruments. Church and building bells in a town or city bring joy or proclaim news or simply remind us of the hour. And there are bells here in my piece, which I hope you will hear programme note
on "A London Suite"
Sonata for Violin and Piano in 3 Movements
"The sonata alludes to the tragic story of the lovers, Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini who were slain by Francesca's outraged husband, as recounted in Canto V of Dante's Inferno .. takes specific inspiration from the 4th and final depiction by Watts .." programme note
on Sonata for violin and piano in 3 movements.
Sonata for Violin and Piano in 3 Movements
Movement I
Movement II
Movement III
The Jewel Inside Me
“The moon says, "How long will I remain suspended without a sun?" Without Love's jewel inside of me..” programme notes
on "the jewel inside me".
II. The Water of Life
M P 3 / P D F
III. The Shattered Talisman
M P 3 / P D F
The Dark Feather
“A feather is light What is light cannot be dark Therefore a feather cannot be dark” When syllogism fails and ambiguity feeds the uncertainty of the mind, the lover’s fallacious reasoning yields in argument to darker meaning and unsubstantiated consequences..." programme note
on "the dark feather"
Four Night Songs
"Four night songs"... inspired by the haunting Soneto 79 from Cien Sonetos de amor, “Tie your heart at night to mine, love”, by the renowned Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda... within the sub-section of the Cien sonetos entitled "Noche"/ "Night". The structure and harmony of my piece reflect my thoughts and response to the poem .." programme note
on "Four night songs"
Four Night Songs / solo piano
V I D E O / M P 3
I. Hearts Tie
M P 3 / P D F
II. Stone and Shadow
M P 3 / P D F
III. The Submerged Swan
M P 3 / P D F
IV. Dreams Reply
M P 3 / P D F
I Sing to The Sky
"There is such a disparate range of emotion when uncertainty and inevitability mix and take control of a situation of which you have no control yourself. The three contrasting movements treat these emotions as songs. The title of the first song references Emily Dickinson’s beautiful poem “There is another sky” (set out below) : after dark opening chords which express an angry realization, lyrical passages draw upon the poet's confidence,... " programme note
on "I sing to the sky"
il Vestito Rosso
"il vestito rosso" is a short piece in four movements for solo piano. The work has a sister-poem called "The crimson dress" (below) Both poem and piece are in four sections. The four verses of the poem expose the inspiration and expression of the composition and each verse reflects and subjectifies the development of the four movements of the piece.” ... programme note
on "il vestito rosso"
II. Musa Del Cuore ("Heart-Muse")
M P 3
/ P D F
III. il Viaggio ("Journey")
M P 3 / P D F
Four City Impressions
Four city impressions : ...“Take New York’s restless energy and inventiveness. Add its distinctive brand of brassy elegance, its delight in impressing visitors, and its flair for showmanship. STIR. You’ve got GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL.” ... programme note
on "Four city impressions"
La Scala Veneziana
La scala veneziana : ... a courtyard in Venice, conceals behind the grill of the outer doorway, an urn and a stone staircase. The eye is drawn to the staircase as there is light shining down from the landing above. Allure and invitation pervade. We are curious to know to where or to what or to whom the staircase leads. programme note
on "la scala veneziana"
Thema
"Thema": ... My piece draws on the thematic suggestion of Lorca's poem. "Thema" is the Greek word for "theme". Theme is defined: as a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition, a unifying or dominant idea or motif... programme note
on "Thema"
Four Encounters
Four encounters: Each movement explores a new stage of possible encounter as an alliance progresses. The opening movement sees... programme note
on "Four Encounters"
I. Affinity
II. Circles
III. Tenderness
IV. Decision
Overture For Strings
Overture For Strings
Piano Sonato in 4 Movements
Piano Sonata in 4 movements: .. the piece comprises four movements which contrast in style and theme but also extend and develop the overall harmonic language and rhythm of the work. The movement-structure proceeds..programme note
for Piano Sonata
Piano Sonato in 4 Movements / solo piano
V I D E O / M P 3
I. 1st Movement
M P 3 / P D F
II. 2nd Movement
M P 3 / P D F
III. 3rd Movement
M P 3 / P D F
Two Short Pieces
I. "The dolphin's aquarium", is questioning and "unknown". The video shows no dolphins. Instead, many small sea creatures are swimming in an environment which is contained. The opening passage of brief motifs progresses to a passage of descending chromaticism which asserts increased recognition and realisation before returning to question. The colour and tonality of the closing chords acts as a harmonic link to the second movement.
II. "The unicorn's lair" alludes to great ceremony but is centred on a more delicate "quasi-folk" theme. The opening fanfare-like sequence dissolves into a tender working of the plaintive melody which ultimately serves as a theme of ceremonial pageant. The final chord resonates and fades until it is inaudible.
Two Short Pieces / solo piano
Kokkili
Lokkili : a short piece for piano inspired by Koshiki the elephant who speaks Korean ..
"Choah," he tells the camera. "Choah, annyong. Anja." In English: "good," "good," "hello," and "sit down." http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121102-korean-speaking-elephant-talk-human-science-weird-animals/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9648814/The-elephant-that-speaks-Korean.html
Eternally
Eternally: The score contains a short note to the performers.. “the players may choose and agree to repeat sections between double barlines or across several such sections or the whole piece if they wish”. The piece can continue for as long as the performers wish.
From Cloud to Earth
I composed "from cloud to earth" as we approach 2 years on from the terrible Tohoku earthquake and devastating tsunami which in a matter of moments took the lives of so many, so suddenly in March 2011 in Japan. The pain felt for those who perished and for those who survived but who lost their families, their homes, their worlds, is unabating. So too is the gravest concern for many more as we consider the legacy of radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant which was overwhelmed by a flood of sea water as the tsunami swept across the plant causing a series of explosions which released lethal radioactivity over many miles. Even before the horror of this second disaster, I held gravest concerns about man's handling of and co-existence with radioactive material and have prayed that the manufacture and use of nuclear energy will be a long forgotten phase in human history. I felt compelled to express my concern and a message in this piece. Two years on we have ever more perspective on the fallout which has occurred in Japan: physical, emotional, financial and radioactive. The lessons of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island linger too. In the video, my music is accompanied by images and short sections of film which contemplate the clouds in the sky, nuclear science, radioactivity, the sun (our star and life force, but seen here as destructive), our planet earth, falling, slowly, symbolically, actually. In fact, though we see the clouds, we do not see the ground (earth), only the earth as a whole (planet). In the final stages of the piece, the opening chords which symbolize the earth are overlaid by higher motifs symbolizing the clouds which gradually descend in pitch to meet with the register of the earth chords. The piece is followed on the video by a dedication."
String Quartet no.1
"String Quartet no 1" comprises three short movements: the first movement is lyrical and sees the string parts, especially the 2 violins, conversing and interweaving; in the slower second movement the 1st violin leads with a plaintive phrase, which passes to the 2nd violin; the third movement is faster and agitated, the parts exchanging ideas and motifs, and playing with the rhythmic pulse within the harmonic language and melodic parameters of the earlier movements.
I. Movement
II. Movement
III. Movement
Les Roses D'Ispahan
Les Roses d'Ispahan is a homage to Claude Debussy and sets for piano and voice the beautiful love poem by Leconte de Lisle. It formed part of my Degree submission. It is a piece which I have come back to as I feel that the song holds a lot of my musical and emotional feelings.
Three Pieces for Guitar
Piano Sonata in 4 movements: .. the piece comprises four movements which contrast in style and theme but also extend and develop the overall harmonic language and rhythm of the work. The movement-structure proceeds..programme note
for Piano Sonata
Three pieces for Guitar / guitar solo
Prayer for Japan
Prayer for Japan: It was of immense pain and sorrow to me to see the traumatic events of the 11th March 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami. I wrote Prayer for Japan the day after. I did not have this music in mind when the news broke about the disaster. Significantly, there was no music for me at that point, only horror and numbness. The music came around 24 hours later seeing the stark devastation and the almost incomprehensible destruction caused by the tsunami and sensing the Japanese people’s anguish but seeing also their movingly dignified response to the terrible events which were unfolding around them. My piece for March in the 2012 Project says "Another Prayer" for Japan, one year on.
Inspiration
"Inspiration can form slowly sometimes, unnoticed until it emerges almost uncredited in new creativity. And there are times when inspiration hits suddenly, with force and passion, stimulating idea and emotion immediately. Inspiration is also to breathe.. for me, inspired music breathes ..." (AF - September 2011)
Mist
Mist: “A new and welcome contribution to Miniature 2011 project. English composer Anna Ferro composed a new two pianos version of the miniature n. 46 Mist. This is a brilliant operation of rereading and enrichment: Anna composed an additional new piano part to be performed simultaneously to the original Mist. The result is outstanding, a rich harmonic coil clinging and lying down on the original tissue. Congratulations and many thanks to the brilliant composer!”
- Francesco di Fiore, 6 March 2012.
