Day of These Days (2018)

I discovered Laurie Leeʼs writing on my parentsʼ bookshelves, and one of my earliest piano pieces was inspired by a verse of his. Already a fan, my violinist mother was invited to play quartets with him in the early 70s at one of the regular chamber music evenings he held at his home. My sonʼs name (also Laurie) was chosen partly because of my fascination with Leeʼs work.

When I was asked to write a song cycle by Painswick Music Society, and it was suggested that I look at Gloucestershire poets, Laurie Lee seemed an obvious choice. My connection with Painswick goes back to 1998, and the premiere of my work for cello and piano, Bridging the Day, commissioned by Gerry Mattock, and inspired by the cottage he shared with Beryl Calver-Jones in the Forest of Dean. They commissioned many pieces from me after that, and Day of These Days, dedicated to Sarah Connolly, is written in Berylʼs memory.

The cycle follows the turn of the seasons, beginning with Day of These Days – an ecstatic depiction of autumn. This first song is very simply set.

The second song (Town Owl) portrays the ghostly ballroom, the sinister call of the owl, and its unsettling presence in the city.

April Rise is coloured with bright upward flashes of piano, and Long Summer is set against a haze of piano semiquavers, settling only as the scene melts into an expression of sensual passion.

The reprise of the first song – a return to autumn – suggests that the cycle is unbroken – a continuous loop.

Day of These Days was commissioned by Painswick Music Society, and first performed by Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton on 12th May 2018, in St Mary's Church, Painswick, Gloucestershire.