Three Broadland Preludes

The large, open skies, the uncluttered landscapes and the abundance of water are reflected in these three pieces for piano about the Broadland area of Norfolk.

Ranworth is one of the most tranquil villages in the area and its Broad is a nature reserve, inaccessible to holiday boats.  This prelude was born after Patrick’s first visit to the Broad on a hazy summer day in August 2007.  Fenside is another quiet area next to the village of Catfield, near Barton Broad.  With this piece, Patrick contemplated the farmland stretching as far as the eye can see, the smell of coal fires in the village in the winter, and the tower of Catfield church silhouetted against a dreamy, deep-orange sunset.  In 2007, the Norfolk artist David Dane held an exhibition of his work at the Broadland Wildlife Centre.  For the occasion he painted a picture entitled Remembrance; I wrote a piece with the same name, and performed the premiere at the exhibition on Remembrance Day.  The painting’s theme is one of the old wherries which carried cargo along the waterways, and this was the image in Patrick’s mind as the tall, majestic sails are made full by the sea air.