My initial inspiration for this album came from composing Life cycle for violin and strings, with all the works that followed playing on the theme of life.

For the first movement of Life for solo piano and strings, I have played with alternating the time signature between 6/8 and a 3/4 waltz. The 6/8 sections are distinct in having a minor, slightly intense feel, as opposed to the more joyous 3/4 sections. The second movement was worked up from a short improvisation I wrote a few weeks prior to entering Air Studios to record this album. Its simplicity gives this movement an almost childlike quality. The last movement hints at the waltz feel of the first movement and sees the introduction of additional percussion instruments towards its climactic ending.

Biorhythms can be best defined as the cyclic pattern of emotional or physical activity that occurs throughout our lives. Both movements of this piece for solo violin and strings play on this idea through the use of cyclical patterns in the music. However, these aren’t played by either the soloist or string orchestra that accompanies them; instead, I created two additional solo violin parts that play these cyclic patterns, and often echo each other. In the first movement, the solo violin and orchestral parts dart in and out of the rhythms of these cyclic patterns. With the second movement, the solo violin and orchestral parts have a more sustained feel against the arpeggiated additional solo violin parts, joined here by a solo cello.

Veil is a new arrangement of a previously unrecorded movement from my score for the ballet The veil between worlds, choreographed by Edwaard Liang for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Edwaard explores the theme of the worlds between life and death. In the live performance, this is depicted by the placement of a vast veil on stage. When I wrote the score, I used the structure of a violin concerto, with additional solo instruments appearing throughout. This particular movement features a cello solo.

Reflection for solo piano is a short piece I wrote which has a song-like form; its ‘chorus’ feels similar to a ballad in style. It is performed on this recording by Huw Watkins.

Pieces of wood is inspired by the use of wood in string instruments—although a felled tree is no longer living, by being turned into an instrument, it has a new lease of life. I wrote the piece in three movements. The first movement is mainly scored for pizzicato strings. Before recording the orchestra, I recorded violinist Kerenza Peacock (for whom I wrote the piece) playing multiple lines that, combined, act as a rhythmic backdrop. We then recorded the orchestra on top of this. The second movement also has a pre-recorded part: a percussive beat made by Kerenza tapping her violin in different places. The next stage was to record the soloist and orchestra over this violin-tapping beat. The last movement has a slightly Celtic feel. As with the first movement, I wrote additional solo violin parts whose pizzicato patterns combine to create the ‘rhythm section’ which accompanies the more sustained solo violin and string orchestra parts.

Life cycle was written for violinist Benjamin Baker and arranged for solo violin and strings. The piece is in five sections that segue from one to another. In the opening section, the main theme is established, returning later in the work. This section is followed by a slower passage which makes use of the orchestra trilling, over which the solo violin plays the melody in duet with a solo cello. This duet features in the spritely central section which has a playful feel. In contrast, the fourth section has more of a sense of intrigue and other-worldliness. To achieve this, I created a waltz that uses muted strings, often playing pizzicato, which accompanies discordant sustained string passages. The final section sees the return of the main theme, but here it’s played at a much faster pace, bringing the piece to a climactic end.

Mortal is written for solo violin, piano and strings, arranged so the instruments enter in that order. The piece opens with a solemn eleven-chord pattern for unaccompanied violin. The piano then enters and the piece then makes use of the first three chords followed by the seventh, eighth and ninth chords of the pattern. This is repeated when the strings enter, followed by variations on this pattern.

Afterlife is a work for solo piano which was inspired by an article I read about activity being detected in the brain after someone has died. Concluding the album is Life Epilogue, which has an early classical style keyboard part accompanied by a serene string arrangement with use of rubato in the piano part.

I dedicate this album to the memory of my father, the violinist Howard Davis. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that I so often write for the violin. He was a big influence on me, and as those who knew him will agree, was absolutely full of life.

Oliver Davis © 2025