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Janet has
managed to capture a musical style that is inventive, challenging and rewarding to
sing
Dr Colin Durrant
Conductor University of London Chamber Choir & Imperial College Choir |
Inspiration
“I spend a lot of time reading poetry, partly for my own enjoyment and partly looking for things to set to music. Often the broken pattern in poetry –the break in the regularity of the verse will give rise to a compositional challenge. You have to solve that, and the solution is what keeps the thing going.
“When I’m looking for poetry, an interesting form can be just as much an inspiration as the subject matter. I like to find patterns of textures and a progression in the piece. On the whole I don’t write static music - it usually goes somewhere - and so that’s the kind of thing I’m looking for in words. Plus I love playing with different rhythmic interpretations of texts – deciding exactly which words in a line, a verse or a whole poem the music will emphasise.
“Stories can also inspire me – particularly stories with a strong sense of atmosphere and place. I also enjoy taking dance forms and existing pieces as a starting point for instrumental music. It’s another way of playing with expectations within a recognised style or structure – a kind of variation approach.”
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