Recording: Ruth Elder, Violin. May 2020

Writing for signing of the register for mine and my wife's wedding - 20th Oct 2018.

Melita, domi adsum (2018) by Mike J Pickering

Recording: Junyan Natasha Liu, RWCMD Chorus Room. November 2004

Bute was the first complete work of mine written whilst studying Classical composition at RWCMD.  Written during a bout of composers block early on in the year, this piece for solo cello is in part a transcription of a local park's soundscape.

"Frustrated with the progress of a solo cello piece I went to clear my mind in Bute Park. In my pocket was my dictaphone which had managed to turn itself on. When I got home I removed the dictaphone from my pocket
to notice it had been recording. I listen to the recording and what I had was a recording of noises from the park. I was surprised by the lyrical song-like result of a string of natural sounds which included birds singing, fire engines driving past and the crunch of leaves. These noises were to be my inspiration for my cello piece.

I started to transcribe parts of the recording, I manipulated the structure of the recording to create a coherent musical shape, and then I gradually notated parts to result in a semi-graphical, semi-notated piece."

Mike Pickering | Composer