I suppose my fascination with the music of English composers started with my recognition of my family's ties to the British Isles from past generations. My Father trained in England before being sent to serve in North Africa during World War II. I knew from an early age that I had the "adventurous spirit" of the English. My time of studies in England brings recollections of the stoic countryside and stark landscapes of this majestic Island. The people are unique in so many special way. England is a country where great literature is appreciated along with scores of avid readers and a culture with a connection to the past that I have never found elsewhere.
The work "Through Egdon Heath' could of never been written without actually spending time as a student during my studies at Royal Holloway. This work is a testament to traditional counterpoint with modern contemporary compositional practice intermingling throughout the Baroque-style formal structure.The piano and orchestra are equal partners throughout the one movement Piano Concerto. The traditional approach to the balance of the piano and orchestra quickly fades away as the conversation between the two takes center stage.The sound of the piano is a constant thread that helps to weave the tapestry of rich tonal and flowing structures
The orchestra produces "walls of sound" in a sharp contrast of the piano's chiseling away at the steady harmonic path of counterpoint to give balance between the interplay of the conversation between the piano and orchestra. The work is written in dedication to my first and most influential teacher of music composition, Dr.Newel Kay Brown.
Royal Holloway, University of London
(During my studies here,I was introduced to the music of
the English composer, Gerold Finzi.)