Grounds
‘Grounds‘ is a new concertino for oboe and string orchestra. The three short movements are based on different ground bases which develop into increasingly florid and passionate music.
Time and Again
‘Time and Again – A Toccata for Orchestra’ is a new piece, fast and furious for four and a half minutes.
The title comes from a fitful, many-times-repeated melody which appears across contrasting instrumental guises throughout.
Hear it here: https://soundcloud.com/johnbhawkins/time-after-time-for-orchestra
A Walk with Ingres’ Wife
A just-rewritten movement for brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba).
The title comes from an essay On the Exploitation of Vulgarity (1914) by the artist Wyndham Lewis in which he quotes a story about the French painter Ingres:
“When an ugly or uncomely person appeared on the horizon of their daily promenade, Ingres’ careful wife would raise her shawl protectingly and he would be spared a sight that would have offended him. … Today the artist’s attention would be drawn, on the contrary, to anything particularly hideous or banal as a thing not to be missed.”
In this short piece (approx. 7 minutes) I imagine such a walk, with Mme Ingres’ poise broken by increasingly frantic evasions!
It Takes Two
Take Two is a new short, sharp (2’30”) showpiece for two guitars. Music is available from me and can be heard on Soundcloud!
Take Two for two guitars
Last Wave
Just finished rewriting ‘The Seafarer’, the last and only unperformed one of my trilogy of sea pieces (‘Sea Symphony’, ‘Voices from the Sea’). This large-scale piece is for tenor, choir and chamber orchestra and uses words from the Anglo-Saxon poem ‘The Seafarer’ and a powerful short story by the great Liverpool seaman, poet, actor and political activist George Garrett.
John Hawkins studied composition with Malcolm Williamson and Elisabeth Lutyens. He has written many chamber, vocal and orchestral pieces, which have been performed worldwide, as well as successful music for children,