One of my songs from twenty or so years ago that I called 'Madrigals revisited: 'The Silver Swan' is one of the best known of all English madrigals, beautifully set by Orlando Gibbons. Here I provide music for the anonymous text that is a solo song with piano accompaniment.

The Silver Swan

A setting of a short poem by John Betjeman which has a distinctly yesteryear feel to it; however, I saw in it opportunity for a languid, lyrical song as the poet shares his daydream, and enjoyed finding the melodic contours and harmonic colours to complement the words.

Woman Driver (Betjeman)

A setting of a poem by African poet Wayne Visser, written for a friend who was born in South Africa and is a singing teacher and choir director. I found the words wonderfully colourful and expressive of the African plains, and the music came to me very fluently - all in one day's composing. Happy Birthday, my friend!

African Flame

One of my 'Madrigals Revisited' - returning to partsongs I knew at school, and setting them to new music as a solo song with piano. Here I revisit Wilbye's melancholy ode to the night - a text that resonates so much with me and invited me to pour out my feelings along those lines

Draw on sweet night

Title: Siren’s Song
Voice: Evelyn Lo
Music: Javier Sabadell
Lyrics: Moonwalk Ensamble Archive
Story: Javier Sabadell
Produced by: Moonwalk Ensamble
Cover art: Moonwalk Ensamble | Abu Dhabi
Copyright: © 2025 Moonwalk Ensamble. All rights reserved.

“Siren’s Song” is a vocal and visual composition that merges myth, melancholy, and poetic sound. Performed by Evelyn Lo and composed by Javier Sabadell, the piece unfolds like a timeless lament from the sea’s edge.

The lyrics draw on a libretto curated by the Moonwalk Ensamble’s literary archive, evoking the siren’s eternal duality — seduction and solitude, beauty and danger.

This recording was produced in Abu Dhabi in 2025.


Upon the waves, a haunting tune,
A melody of moonlight's swoon,
Your voice, a siren's dulcet call,
Enthralling hearts, destined to fall.

Oh, siren of the deep blue sea,
Your song, a sweet, sad mystery,
A lullaby of ocean's grace,
Lost in your ethereal embrace.

The sailors yearn, their hearts aflame,
Drawn to the magic of your name,
Like moths to a flickering light,
They sail towards your endless night.

The crashing waves, a rhythmic beat,
Mirroring the longing, bittersweet,
For in your song, a mournful plea,
A yearning for eternity.

Oh, siren of the deep blue sea,
Your song, a sweet, sad mystery,
A lullaby of ocean's grace,
Lost in your ethereal embrace.

Fade into the ocean's heart,
Where melodies forever start,
A siren's song, a timeless art,
Forever etched within my heart.

PORTRAITS OF SOLITUDE

The Siren's Song

Brise d'Hiver" is a proposed piece for a choir. The text is taken from the poem "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore.

Winter Breeze
After the poem "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
(Text by Claude Andreoni)

Je suis la brise d’hiver, je suis la brise amère,                                                                                            I am the winter breeze, I am the bitter breeze
Je suis la fleur qui tombe en pleurant,                                                                                                                               I am the flower that falls in tears,
Je suis l’étoile qui luit au firmament,                                                                                                              I am the star that shines in the firmament,
Je suis l’amour qui passe et qui espère..                                                                                                                        I am the love that passes and hopes

Je suis le rêve éphémère, ô douceur,                                                                                                                        I am the fleeting dream, oh sweetness,
La nuit alanguie, je goûte la saveur, 
At night, languidly, I savor the taste
Du souffle léger, sans prévenir,                                                                                                                               Of the gentle breath, without warning,
Le cœur saigne et n’ose rien dire.                                                                                                                            The heart bleeds and dares not speak.

Je suis l’ombre qui fuit la lumière,                                                                                                                       I am the shadow that flees the light,
Mon chant meurt, dans une plainte étouffée,                                                                                                   My song dies, in a stifled lament,
Je suis l’adieu suprême et ce qui peut rester,                                                                                                            I am the supreme farewell and what may remain,
La rose qui saigne, le silence des pierres.                                                                                                               The bleeding rose, the silence of the stones.


Je suis la brise d’hiver, je suis la brise amère,                                                                                           I I am the winter breeze, I am the bitter breeze
Je suis la fleur qui tombe en pleurant,                                                                                                                               I am the flower that falls in tears,
Je suis l’étoile qui luit au firmament,                                                                                                              I am the star that shines in the firmament,
Je suis l’amour qui passe et qui espère..                                                                                                                        I am the love that passes and hopes
Et je t’attends.                                                                                                                                                      And I await you.

Brise d'Hiver (Winter Breeze)

A setting of John Betjeman's poem that captures an experience of train travel from back-in-the-day through a rather attractive, romantic lens. The song was composed as a birthday present for a friend ho is active in the Betjeman Society

Pershore Station

From Heaven To Hell

Music by: https://soundcloud.com/classicalglass-1
Mix, production & strings by: https://soundcloud.com/orlando51
Lyrics & vocals by: https://soundcloud.com/mirjam-keijnemans

So Precious

I have always treasured the heartfelt music of Rachmaninov. One of the gems is his Vocalise for soprano and piano (a true song without words). It exists in various guises, and is sometimes played by a cellist. One day it occurred to me to fashion a similar piece, but in a major key, rather than the great man's minor key choice. I hope you will hear something that is clearly similar in its beauty, but (I hope) is not quite so poignant and lonely. Thank you, Sergei

Revocalise (after Rachmaninov's op.34 no.14)

I love composing; always have done. 
The infinite potential for ways to put notes together is endlessly fascinating, and the capacity for expressing one's own feelings and personality through this process is rich, intimate and very precious to me.  
I write Opera, Oratorio, Orchestral music, Chamber music, Church music and Song. An ongoing project is composing 'Songs without Words' for solo piano; it is a way of trying to articulate my experience of life, its joys and its pains, its hopes and its disappointments. Currently I have composed 251 Songs without Words.
For further information, including how to access scores of my music, and any projects you may have that may need a composer, please message me on SoundCloud - I will get back to you and we can use other media to discuss music (one of my favourite pastimes!)

Empecé a tocar con 12 años, en un Hammond que había por casa, en mitad del pasillo, y que parecía antes un mueble que otra cosa. Contenía dos octavas y una serie de botones de colores, que eran los acordes. Con 13 años compuse mi primer tema ("Vademecum") en un grabador de cassette con doble pletina, de manera que a través del aire podía ir añadiendo pistas sucesivas a aquello que iba grabando. Fue mi primera experiencia con un secuenciador. Y me divertí mucho. Los resultados, aunque rudimentarios, no pudieron ser mejores. Esto me animó a escribir otras tres piezas musicales, en una de ellas haciendo intervenir mi propia voz cantando extrañas frases psicodélicas. 

Más tarde, una vez exprimido el Hammond al máximo, compré un teclado más razonable. Con él fui feliz creando cualquier tipo de música que decidía probar. Aprendí con ello que, muchas veces, cuanto menos sofisticada es la música, más creativo es el resultado. 

Con el tiempo, me introduje en el fascinante mundo de los sintetizadores, las estaciones de trabajo y los teclados arranger. Hoy en día estoy totalmente inmerso en los VSTi y el Cubase, aunque confío en que mis trabajos preserven el sabor natural de lo que siempre la música significó para mí. 



Composer, Music producer, Film maker, artist

New tracks tagged #Classical song