Wild Garden op. 322

With the spring everything bursts back to life in the sunshine: particularly those plants that thrive whether you want them or not! Gardeners may call them weeds, but they have inspired Wild Garden: a sequence of three woodwind duets. The first piece, Dandelions & Bees, reflects the natural beauty of the glowing yellow flowers and the busy insects as the two instrumental parts hover and dance round each other. The hidden mystery of Enchanter's Nightshade is suggested by brooding scales and pungent harmonies weaving dark musical spells.

The sounds of rustic bagpipes and shawms are evoked in the riotous bucolic revelry of Shepherd's Purse. Wild Garden is available in versions for flute and clarinet, two flutes, two oboes, flute and oboe and two clarinets: all of them carefully crafted to exploit the characteristics of all the instruments. The parts are always in dialogue with each other, so there’s never a dull moment whichever one you are playing! This work is ideal for charming your audiences or for bringing a smile to both players in home chamber playing.