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Friday, the 23 rd of January 2026  #ZoeMartlew #DebutAlbum #inspiration #ContemporaryMusic #classical #classicalcontemporary    The wonderful, exciting Zoë Martlew has released her debut album Z. I’m listening right now, enjoying the thrilling sounds from all the performers in King’s Place. From apocalyptic soundscapes to riotous cabaret, it’s a feast for the ears. Zoë has had a stellar career as a cellist, so it’s wonderful to hear her emerging as a composer now, allowing a

Wednesday, the 26 th of November 2025, very early morning  #Tide #SeaSymphony #SciathlúireachMhuire  I just woke up with a map of the final section of the 4th movement. I reached for my miniature pad of manuscript paper but it was not there. I had to get out of bed to get my notebook. It now has a structure for the model transposition of the cantus firmus, an augmented version of the ancient Irish melody which opens the movement and the figuration to turn it into a grand fi

Sunday, the 23rd of November 2025  Composing On The Train  #composing #orchestrating #inspiration   I arrived early to sing at all Saints, Fulham, so I had the chance to spend 15 minutes on the 4th movement in the lovely coffee shop opposite Putney Bridge tube. I did some work on the middle section on the train yesterday to Buxted but I was too tired last night to transfer my notes on the printout onto MuseScore. So this morning was a good opportunity to flesh out the orchest

Sunday, the 9th of November 2025  #composing #inspiration #Tide #SeaSymphony    A day full of music – singing Victoria Requiem a 4 this morning at St Patrick’s Soho, listening to new music from the Carr Consort conducted by Gavin Carr, singing Byrd 4 part mass and Vaughan Williams Valiant For Truth. In between, I find time to work on the 4th movement of the sea symphony. Inspired by the cantus firmus in the Victoria Requiem, I worked on a possible Cantus Firmus for the finale

Friday, the 7 th of November 2025  #inspiration #SeaSymphony #Tide   I’ve just been to see The Choral, released today. So now I have Dream of Gerontius in my head, replacing the big theme in the 4 th movement of the Sea Symphony. Gerontius is such a powerful piece and I freely admit I cried several times during the music. I was reminded of hearing the Priest’s Go Forth at my grandfather’s funeral then, a few years later, playing the Angel’s Farewell for my grandmother’s fun