Ideas
Thinking about things.
Underground
story“Wakey-wakey! Rise and shine!” Angel gently shook the waking Sleeper.
We are not prepared
ideaAlmost anyone who has shared a few beers with me will have heard me go on about the Fermi paradox. Indulge me to go on a little longer, and relate it to a recent Time article by Eliezer Yudkowsky.
Your next job will be...
ideaWith the inexorable rise of AI, what will human work and art look like in the future?
How to write a symphony
ideaHaving recently composed a symphony, for better or worse, I was reminded of an old WikiHow article, and thought I'd offer my own how-to guide...
Once upon a time
idea'Once upon a time' is a powerful way to begin something - a talk, a novel, a film, even a business presentation - but why?
Why NFTs are just like stories
ideaNon-fungible tokens are a fascinating new technology that’s disrupting the art world and beyond. Drawing upon Walter Benjamin’s essays, I look at their relevance to music, and surprised myself with my conclusion.
The Fire of Olympus: Director's Statement
ideaLogline, director's statement, and trailer for the feature film of my opera, 'The Fire of Olympus; or, On Sticking It To The Man'
The Fire of Olympus: Synopsis
storyA short synopsis of the plot of my opera (and feature film) 'The Fire of Olympus; or, On Sticking It To The Man'. Warning - spoilers!
Composing 'Herakles'
storyA short article about how I set about composing the music for my oratorio 'Herakles', written for the DVD booklet accompanying the film of the piece.
Origins: Ezdeyev
storyWhere I found the ideas for the character Ezdeyev in my opera 'Rest In Peace'
But what is it?
storyAn article written for the tour programme for my opera 'Madame X'. The title refers to the inane question asked of an artist by one of the characters in the opera, about one of his paintings.
Top 10 tips for composers
ideaFor Sound & Music's "Composer's Toolkit" I contributed ten tips on how to earn a living ... as a composer. Tricky!
How I raised the funds to put on my new opera
storyHow I raised the funds to put on my opera 'Emily' - originally written for Norman Lebrecht's Slipped Disc.
Composing 'Emily'
storyI was warned that it would be 'the hardest thing you’ll ever do' - little did I realise...
Without Steve Martland, I’d have been an accountant…
storySteve Martland was my first composition teacher. He sadly left us in 2013. Here's my obituary, originally written for Norman Lebrecht's Slipped Disc website.
Uncommon Wealth
An article written for the premiere of 'Common Wealth', commissioned to celebrate Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Le gâteau d’anniversaire
interviewAn interview with CNIPAL director Ivan Domzalski, for the first performance of the opera 'Le gâteau d’anniversaire'
Numbers Stations
ideaWhat could be more innocent than a cab driver, casually listening to his short-wave radio? What could be more innocent than a cab driver, casually listening to his short-wave radio? It’s perfectly plausible. But what if...
A brief history of Usenet
storyBack in the old days, before TikTok, before Reddit, before Google, even before the web itself, we had Usenet. And we were grateful for it! Tell that to kids these days and they'll never believe you.
Composing Corley
storyEvery now and then, something comes along that makes you think, ‘Ah, that’s what the Internet is for!'
Location, Location, Location?
storyAn article on the connections that bind composers together - written for the programme for the very first concert given by Radius.