Serenade For Strings No 1
1. Awaken the Dawn
STRING VERSION
PIANO VERSION
Awake the Dawn (Vekk Morgengrytt) is the first movement of my Serenade for Strings No. 1. It began life as a piano piece, dedicated to my dear Norwegian composer and pianist friend, Randi Bøten.
Inspired by the beauty of the Norwegian fjords, the piece captures the rising of a new day — light breaking over still waters, with a sense of wonder and expectancy. Written in E major, it combines lyricism and brightness, now expanded in this arrangement for string orchestra.
Tragically, Randi passed away recently. I had hoped she might try this piece at the piano — and perhaps she did. Now I like to imagine that, if not here, then in heaven she can hear this arrangement, as the strings awaken the dawn in her memory.
This opening movement sets the tone for the serenade: heartfelt, lyrical, and dedicated to friendship, beauty, and light.
2.Tears
STRING VERSION
PIANO VERSION
“Tears” forms the second movement of my Serenade for Strings No. 1. Originally composed for piano, it has been arranged here for string orchestra, where the depth and variety of textures allow the music to speak with even greater emotional intensity.
The piece shifts frequently between time signatures, creating an unsettled, searching quality. Through contrasting string textures — from delicate, transparent lines to rich, full sonorities — the music seeks to capture the paradox of grief intertwined with joy.
This duality gives Tears its character: music that tugs at the heartstrings, yet offers glimpses of consolation and light in the midst of sorrow.
Placed at the centre of the serenade, Tears provides the emotional core of the work — a reflective meditation before the energy of the waltz and the calm radiance of Silver Clouds.
3. Waltz in A Flat
This third movement of my Serenade for Strings No. 1 began life as a piano waltz, inspired by the style and structural ideas of Frédéric Chopin.
While it draws on Chopin’s elegance and lyricism, the music is entirely my own — a new composition in A♭ major that seeks to capture both the intimacy of the salon and the sweeping flow of the dance hall.
In this arrangement for string orchestra, the piece takes on new colours: the lightness of violins suggesting pianistic sparkle, the warmth of cellos giving depth to the dance, and the whole ensemble breathing fresh life into a form beloved by Chopin.
✨ This waltz now sits as the lively heart of my Serenade for Strings, contrasting with the more atmospheric and reflective outer movements.
4. Silver Clouds
STRING VERSION
PIANO VERSION
Silver Clouds is the final movement of my Serenade for Strings No. 1, originally composed for piano and later arranged for string orchestra.
✨ Musical Character:
Written in C major and marked Moderato, the piece unfolds through a repetitive shifting ostinato that creates a drifting, atmospheric texture. Inspired by Debussy’s Nuages, it evokes the subtle play of light and shadow across the sky.
🎶 The music closes in G major, with a melody that carries distant echoes of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance — a quiet nod to the grandeur of the English musical tradition. Somehow, the whole work also seems to evoke the English landscape, with its blend of lyricism, melancholy, and quiet beauty.
🌥️ Elgar once wrote after his first experience of flight:
“There is a delightful feeling of elation in sailing through gold and silver clouds. It is, Delius, rather like your music – a little intangible sometimes, but always very beautiful.”
Having recently visited Elgar’s birthplace, these words felt especially apt as I completed Silver Clouds.