Although the title of this work came only after its completion, it holds relevance not just for the musical content but also for the circumstances surrounding it. I had been looking into serialism and systematic methods of pitch selection, and although I have great love for much music based on these principles, its aesthetics and formal structures were getting me down; I felt restricted and did not feel I could compose freely the music that was part of myself under such bases. So one day I was in a small practice room in London at a rather ropey grand piano, and I simply played and wrote down what I liked. It was through this intuitive approach that Clearing Mists was created, and interestingly for me I would analyse parts sometime after their initial birth, and notice connections and theoretical patterns which were inherent; form developed through juxtaposition of apparently unrelated ideas, and occasional repetition helped give the piece shape. Although fairly simplistic in some ways, which is perhaps a danger of a 'freely-composed' work, I feel there is a unity and individualism to it.

Played by John Reid of the Aurora Orchestra, for the BBC Proms 2011.

Clearing Mists

Freelance musician based in London, about to release debut album.

Clearing Mists

Henry Tozer