WALKING IN THE AIR CAN BE DANGEROUS op.428 (January 2011)

I composed a tribute to Martin Kingsbury a Paean for solo viola for his 25th anniversary as publishing director of Faber Music.

I wrote a Jubilate Deo for a Presbyterian church in Abington, Pennsylvania, where Sir David had given a performance of 'Benedictus' and 'Six Romantic Pieces' for clarinet for Thea King, arrangements from various sources. I wrote some solo horn music for a Jonathan Kent theatre production of Ibsen at the Almeida with Claire Bloom and Espen Skjonberg- 'When we dead waken', and an arrangement of one of my Shakespeare songs for an icelandic counter-tenor, Sverrier Gud-Johannson, to sing at Ruskin Spear's funeral: Fear no more the heat of the sun. Ruskin Spear was a great portrait painter and had been a great friend.

At Easter I wrote words and music for a Christmas Lullaby. It was recorded later by a student ensemble which I conducted at the RAM and then broadcast on Classic FM on Christmas Day. The soprano soloists were Emma Bell and my wife Helen. This lovely duet had several later transformations- notably becoming the carol in the Snowman Stage Show, re-arranged for SATB and orchestra.

Through the good offices of the wonderful Belle Shenkman, Ann Sirkett of The Book Club commissioned a Christmas work for The Bach Choir and London Brass. I arranged two of the solo Songs of the Nativity for chorus and 8 brass and composed two new ones, making Four Songs of the Nativity. Sir David Willcocks rehearsed them in the extraordinary acoustic under the dome but at the performance, unexpectedly and most graciously, he handed over the baton allowing me to conduct his superb Bach Choir for the premiere.

I created Serenade for Wind Octet as a commission for The Seaton Festival for The Camerata and clarinettist Janet Hilton. The first movement was derived from an early wind quartet, the first piece I wrote on arriving at the mill, the second from 'Come una marcia lente' in 'Lifecycle', the third from an incomplete early flute concerto. But I was frantic with preparations for the CBS album and didn't have time to go down to Dorset to hear the premiere. Very kindly my father-in-law John Lloyd travelled down there and made a recording, which was splendid.