Paul Lewis

Norfolk Suite

Orchestration: Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass

With a lifelong passion for mediaeval architecture it was inevitable that I should fall in love with Norfolk on first sight in 1966; as a composer of TV drama scores I have been on location in the county many times and Norfolk Suite was inspired by returning after an absence of over 20 years.
1. Castle Rising
The grimly splendid stone keep of Castle Rising seems literally to rise out of the ground from behind its earthen ramparts as one approaches, evoking images of the Norman knights who built it. A romantic section expresses the intense nostalgia that ancient ruins and this part of Norfolk inspire in me.
2. Wymondham Abbey
Ruined, or in this case partly-ruined, abbeys have always exerted a great fascination for me, and ghostly memories of plainsong and the footfall of long-dead monks pacing through vanished cloisters echoing through the centuries recur from time to time in my music.
3. Ranworth Broad
The beautiful Norfolk Broads are for many alive with nostalgic memories of family holidays spent sailing gently past windmills and deserted churches. I visited in 1983 when composing the music for the BBC Sunday teatime serial Swallows and Amazons Forever! based on Arthur Ransome's famous adventure stories.
4. Norwich Market
There has been a permanent market on the same site for over a thousand years. The brightly striped awnings of the stalls beneath the ancient Guildhall suggest an air of optimistic bustle and jollity.
Paul Lewis
Duration 12 1/2 minutes

A PACK comprises one full score and string parts 4/4/3/4/2.