New Forest Suite

1. Prelude: morning stroll

2. Galliard

3. The mysterious hare

3. New forest plains

5. Wind through the forest

6. Country Dance

‘New Forest Suite’ was written in early 2024. Commissioned by my good friend, USA artist/ guitarist Martin P. Olson, it is a reminiscence of a time in September 2023, when Martin came to stay at my house in Hampshire, South UK. The suite is comprised of six ‘greeting cards’, descriptive of our time together. 

1. Prelude: Morning Stroll 

Recalling a relaxing 5km walk with Martin, from my house, along meandering lanes to the village of Wickham and back. 

2. Galliard 

A reference to the second movement of ‘Suite en Modo Polonico’ by Alexandre Tansman - a piece that Martin and I have a mutual affection for. 

3. The Mysterious Hare 

A memory of seeing a very large wild hare sitting alone in a field while we were on one of our walking treks together. 

4. New Forest Plains 

The New Forest is an area of natural beauty in Hampshire, Southern England. It includes one of the largest remaining pieces of open pastureland, heathland and forest in the UK. 

5. Wind Through the Forest 

My recollection of the wind whistling through tall, densely packed pine trees in the New Forest. 

6. Country Dance 

A musical finale, conjured from our visit to the village of Wickham on a busy fair day.