Preludes In Our Time have a particular structure to the five pieces: each doubles in time so that the fifth prelude is longer than all the previous four. Half way through the fifth I have begun a coda for each prelude, starting with the fifth and working back so that the final coda is a reflection of the first prelude.

 

The subtitle 'In Our Time' is simply a comment on where I myself, classical music, and society is at the time of completing the main draft of these preludes (August 2008). The world was looking eastwards - China at the time of the Olympics was (is) a staggering contradiction of energy and the outrageous; classical music has been shifting for some time from the most difficult music for most to listen to; and I myself...

 

These preludes were originally conceived as having a set of poems (by the Florentine poet Mario Luzi) interspersed between them, with the first poem like the music being very short and the last (between Preludes IV and V) the longest. The performer could easily substitute poems of his/her own choice although the Preludes function equally well without the addition of any words.