Description

‘The Forest’ was originally written for the Hampshire Double Reed ensemble, then under the tuition of Andrew Knights, so I had the New Forest in mind. The first movement describes a misty dawn as the forest creatures awake. The second movement – ‘Memories of an Ancient Tree’ – refers to the passing of many generations of people, whose daily lives and celebrations unfold while the tree stands in the forest. The third movement – ‘Insects’ – is a fun and slightly jazzy representation of the many insects buzzing around in the forest.