Wondering why I have been quiet for a while? Just as I moved from the city to the country, I started work writing a large-scale orchestral piece: ‘The legend of Baldr’, commissioned by Nacka musikskola and Värmdö kulturskola, in conjunction with Länsmusiken in Stockholm.
Preliminary rehearsals are now underway in Sweden, and I am looking forward to meeting the teachers and pupils at workshops in a few weeks’ time.
Just before Christmas, I had a card from my local Post Office saying there was a parcel waiting for me. Head down finishing the Final Final draft, I was so busy that I didn’t venture out into the storms to collect it until after New Year’s Day. As expected, it contained a batch of delicious homemade Swedish gingerbread, but the ‘wrapping’ was really special: a lovely mug, decorated with the new work’s title page. It’s perfect for seasonal hot mulled wine, so here’s a toast: ‘To a year of wonderful music-making!’