LADY OF THE LAKE and other music.

This new album presents a broad variety of Thomas Hewitt Jones's recent ballet, instrumental & choral music. In the words for the composer: "The works on this CD are unashamedly direct; hopefully the quirky harmonic language will appeal to the listener, as well as highlight the link between the notes and the emotion - the root of musical creativity."

OCULI OMNIUM was written during a visit to south-west France, and is a peaceful setting of the plainchant gradual taken from the Book of Psalms, Psalm 145 vv 14-15. Beginning and ending in C major, the workâs expressive melodic line creates a resoundingly comforting atmosphere. It won the Brasenose College Oxford Platinauer Grace competition, receiving a premiere by internationally-acclaimed vocal group Voces8 in Brasenose College Chapel on October 24, 2010.

SPIRITS OF THE NIGHT, SHADES OF GRIEF for solo harp takes the listener on a wistful journey, exploring the diverse tonal colours and timbres of the instrument. It inhabits a fantastical soundworld which centres on the antithesis of light and shade, illustrated by the contrast of the doleful A minor lament in the middle section. The work unfolds from the opening motif of descending 3rds, which are underpinned by chromatically altered triadic chords to form the harmonic basis for the rest of the piece. Spirits of the night, Shades of Grief was commissioned and edited by concert harpist Eleanor Turner, who performed the premiere on 30th January 2010 at the Sala Incontri, Chiuso Pesio in Italy. It is published by Adlais Music Publishers.

CARNIVAL is a showpiece, written in 2010 as part of the Novello / Organists Charitable Trust Little Organ Book edited by Martin Neary, to whom the piece is dedicated. The opening motif of a broken root chord CEGC followed by four descending quavers (including a flattened 7th) over the pattern of an ascending 3rd form the playful material from which the piece develops; chromatic chord changes in the left hand underpin humorous ascending scales in the right hand which are used to manipulate the harmonic changes. The joyful, jubilant mood of the piece runs throughout until a moment of repose leads to a triumphant ending flourish.

Composed in Spring 2010, the ballet score LADY OF THE LAKE was commissioned by Darius James, choreographer and Artistic Director of Ballet Cymru. It is the third in a trilogy of ballets which have toured the UK (preceded by Under Milk Wood in 2009 and How Green was my Valley in 2010). This recording includes some of the main scenes in an order which works as a stand-alone musical suite. Flavoured by the musical heritage of the Welsh folk tradition, the score of Lady of the Lake is intended to be tonal and approachable, whilst still conveying the emotional depth of the characters and scenes of the story. The ancient Welsh folk-tale follows the fortunes of Owain, a young man who falls in love with a magical lady who appears from a lake high up on the Brecon Beacons, promising him her hand in marriage as long as he agrees never to subject her to Tri ergyá diachos, three causeless blows. Unfortunately the tragic hero will eventually break this promise, causing her to return to the lake and leave him for ever.

WINTER WEDDING DANCE depicts a colourful village scene, paying homage to the folk-influenced dance music of John Dowland. Short triadic stabs from the full orchestra accompany the boisterous theme, which begins in the solo cello part, and builds to be declaimed by the full ensemble. THE LADY APPEARS portrays the spectre of the beautiful woman as she rises from the lake for the first time to dazzle Owain with her delicate beauty. In the title track LADY OF THE LAKE the protagonist falls in love and asks the lady for her hand in marriage. The robust and rhythmic DAYBREAK has elements of the dowland-esque wedding dance, developing the motif of an ascending 5th. Owain tends the flocks on the mountain farm, before the couple announce their marriage and dance together. SUMMER is a tender, lilting pas-de-deux in which the young couple celebrate their love for each other. It is strongly influenced by the music of Maurice Ravel, clearly audible through the use of modality and repeated 6ths. Soon The Lady gives birth to the first of three sons, leading to THE CHRISTENING; a pivotal moment of the Ballet, in which Owain breaks his promise, hitting her for the first time. Inevitably their future together will soon be doomed, and the tragic denouement arrives in THE THIRD BLOW, as Owain strikes his wife for the third time; a scene which is narrated dramatically by the octaves in the piano part at 1:37. DOCTORS portrays the three sons of the couple, who have become the most skilful physicians in the land. Although the inadequacy and fragility of human nature has destroyed the relationship between Owain and The Lady, they will leave a decidedly positive legacy through their offspring. The energetic rhythmic movement, accented chord changes, and use of a rumba rhythm in the second bar humorously characterise the men as they dance together. A touch of graceful playfulness is created by the following crotchet chords and uneven lengths of phrases.

The Lady having returned to the lake for the last time (THE LADY RETURNS), the FINALE provides a pensive, dramatic epilogue in which Owain reflects on his moving plight. The main theme of the ballet is developed for the final time, using motor rhythms in a spinning wheel of colour and texture, before the orchestration thins to prepare the listener for the first satisfactory resolution of the main theme; a conclusion which brings the work full circle after a penultimate chord of chromatic unease.

LEAD ME, O LORD is an anthem written for community choirs of all ages. It was published by the RSCM in 2011 as part of The Word Revealed, a festival service to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. DROP DROP, SLOW TEARS is an expressive and contemplative setting of the words of 17th Century poet Phineas Fletcher. It is dedicated to Andrew Nethsinga and the choir of St Johns College, Cambridge.

SONATA CIMARELLA for oboe and piano is a lyrical work, through-composed in sonata form. The opening motif is subjected to harmonic and rhythmic development, creating moments of emotional dissonance and resolution throughout. Constant shifts in mood lead a quirky journey which is rooted in triadic tonality, frequently shifting chromatically whilst maintaining a driving tempo through the Allegro sections. Tension unfolds until the piece winds down into an expressive, cantabile middle section, before a Presto leads to a recapitulation of the opening material which resolves cheerfully in F major - a rise of a third from the opening Db major - in a declamatory and humorous conclusion. The piece was commissioned by oboist James Turnbull, and will receive its first performance during 2012.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? is a carol lullaby, written for the Carols for Choirs 5 anthology, published by Oxford University Press. The music is sorrowful and poignant, in the key of D minor, with a direct and reflective setting of a simple tune. It includes a soprano and tenor solo, with rich harmony supporting the sombre melody throughout.

Thomas Hewitt Jones is an award-winning composer of both concert and commercial music. Senior winner of the BBC Young Composer competition in 2003, he has since had works performed in venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall. Much of his music has been broadcast and recorded, and he has had pieces published by Faber, ABRSM, Oxford University Press, Novello, Encore Publications and the RSCM. He has worked in Hollywood, and is the composer and conductor for the soundtracks of the 2012 Olympics Mascots animated films, recorded by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. His recent seasonal orchestral piece A Christmas Cracker, performed by the RTE Concert Orchestra, was recently recorded for Naxos.