Sirens

Influences - Cowboy Bebop The Movie (Monorail Scene) 

I wrote this whilst living near the Henry Wood Hall in Borough. It was during the coldest Winter I can remember, in a huge drafty house. Sat at the piano in a duvet and next to an electric heater, I was experimenting with four-part ostinato movements and dealing with a faulty burglar alarm that went off every few minutes. This, coupled with living near to the hospital at London Bridge brought about the title ‘Sirens’.

This was one of the only compositions from the album that never changed from its original form. The music really did just come out in one burst, and the through-written form and consequent intensifying shape have never needed alteration. I liked the idea of starting with a strict ostinato, which gradually moves from the focal point to an accompaniment until the pianist’s shackles are broken near the end to make way for the freedom of improvisation. Harmonically, each section wavers between uneasy melancholic colours and brighter, more optimistic harmony. The harmony in the piano solo alternates between these two characters until it succumbs to the darker chords and grinds to a halt with its ostinato manacles re-instated. It remains my favourite composition to date.