Selected Works
Quiet and contemplative
Tones, modes, and melodies
Dynamic gestures and textures
How to be a forest (2024)
Audiovisual work for improviser, field recordings, and electronics
'How to be a forest' (2024) is for improviser, electronics, field recordings, and film. Part of a developing series of performances and audiovisual compositions called 'Ecollages', each of which which explores listening- and sounding-with the more-than-human world. 'How to be a forest' focuses on regenerative cycles of listening, playing, and looping alongside asynchronous collage of sound and visuals. Recently I've been thinking (and wondering) about how ecological listening/performance practices can sensitively hold human and more-than-human sounding in the same space, through strategies of gentle shifts in attention, without substantial manipulation and avoiding biodata-sonification. This score is an exploration in refracting forested landscapes. Short version premiered at Bonjour Claude's Scratch Night, Levenshulme Old Library, Manchester, September 2024.
ecollage_01 (2024)
Field Recording & Prepared Piano
Ecollage_01 forms part of a developing series of performances and audiovisual compositions called ‘Ecollages’. Each piece explores listening- and sounding-with the more-than-human world, through improvisatory listening and performance strategies of different kinds. The series uses combinations of field recordings, DIY and non-DIY instruments, electronics, visuals, and movement to think about our relationships with dynamic, living environments. Ecollages questions – ‘how can we better think, see, hear, and feel ourselves as part of natural ecologies?’ – ‘how might we find ways of co-composing with human and more-than-human sounds where neither is prioritised, neither is erased, and both can be valued?’ – ‘what changes can be made in our listening to understand that we are always ‘sounding with’ the world around us’? Ecollage_01 is written as a text score for interpretation by up to three performers in live performance. The piece can be played either with field recordings and instrument(s), or in a site-specific context (with naturally occurring soundscape). The piece has several possible durations: 5, 10, 25, and 45 minutes. Performers should choose which duration they will play in advance. Any instrumentation is suitable for this piece, inclusive of DIY or home-built instruments, or conventional instruments of any musical tradition (including western concert instruments).
This, Here, Now: Invitations to Improvise (2024)
Paperback book of 69 text scores
"Out of all the possible locations, times, contexts, and environments that you could be in, you find yourself right here | What do you have to say?" (No.1 from 'Questions) A collection of text invitations for improvisation performance and practice. Conceived for use by musicians, dancers, actors, performance-makers, theatre-makers, composers, choreographers, poets, artists, and any others working in the performing arts (and beyond), these texts are offered as stimuli for practical work in the studio, on the stage, and in the rehearsal space. They can be approached as scores or structures, research questions, discussion points, reflective tools, provocations, experiments, meditations, poems, or in any other way that practitioners might find useful and stimulating. Scores from This, Here, Now were premiered by Edges Ensemble, at Bath House Galleries, Huddersfield, March 2024
Bryographs & Moss Verses (2024)
Graphic Panels | Text
A series of 10 graphic panels (acrylic, graphite) and corresponding poems, commissioned by the Association des Malfaiteurs / Galérie Analix Forever (CH) for "It Could Be Better" , a multimedia exhibition exploring marginalised human and more-than-human voices. Bryographs and Moss Verses explore the varied shapes, textures, and affective properties of mosses local to Geneva. Installed at Galérie Analix Forever, Geneva (CH). January - February 2024. Supported by Loterie Romande
Henria's Lullabies (2024)
EP (13 mins) | Prepared Piano, Field Recording, Electronics
Commissioned by the Association de Malfatieurs and Galérie Analix Forever. Premiered at Galérie Analix Forever (Geneva, CH), February 2024. Title texts taken from 'Proverbs', section of 'Mycorrhizal Noise' (2024) - improvised novel, written by the Noisebringers. Produced by the Noisebringers (Henry McPherson, Brice Catherin, Maria Sappho)
Maud (2023)
Chamber Opera | Chorus (30, SATB) + Soloists
Originally commissioned by Scottish Opera in 2017 and premiered by the Scottish Opera Young Company, Maud is a short chamber opera for young performers, based on a traditional folk-tale from Herefordshire. It was first performed in Glasgow, April 2018, directed by Olivia Fuchs, with the musical direction and conducting of Chris Gray. The premiere performance featured Danish Mezzo-Soprano Lise Christensen as the Wise-Woman, and young Scottish singer Erin Spence in the title role. Maud was re-commissioned in 2023 in a reduced orchestration, and was performed by the Scottish Opera Young Company in a run of 6 performances across Scotland in July 2023. "While picking berries in a woodland glade, in the haze of a summer storm, a young girl named Maud stumbles upon a treasure in the undergrowth. Hurrying home, watched by the dark eyes of the wood, she is unaware of the events which have been set in motion.The sky darkens, and Maud learns that action – no matter how innocent – gives rise to consequence, and that fear can twist reality into the most gruesome and monstrous of forms." - Maud, Programme Note Orchestra: Fl./Picc., Cl./B.Cl., Bsn., Tpt., Hn., Perc. (B.D., T-t., Anv., Vibrasl., Tub. B., Tri., Crot's) Str. 4.4.3.2.1 Solosits: Maud (Low. Sop/Mezzo), Parents (Sop., Bari.), Wise-woman (Mezzo), Jack (Ten.) Chorus size: c. 30, SATB
Moss Gardens (2022 - 2023)
Solo, Duo, Quartet | Variable Durations
A contemplative collection of short to medium length chamber works for a small ensembles. Mosses form an often overlooked but critical aspect of ecosystems the world over, and in the UK, in particular in the borderlands of the Marches where I grew up, and at the gateway to the Yorkshire dales where I now live, Mosses define the landscape through their rich tapestry of green hues and their ubiquity on rain-drenched hillsides. A part of the ‘natural world’ which is just as at home in cities as in the fields, Mosses and their cousins represent some of our closest plant-life neighbours, however their intricate structures, unusual reproductive habits (moss spores can swim), and intimate entanglement with micro and macro-climate systems usually pass without comment. Through generating sonic works inspired by mosses, I hope to gently guide the attention of audiences towards the smaller things, and to foster an interest in nature which could reasonably be explored in both rural and urban environments. Moss Gardens No.1 was created for harp and tenor recorder Moss Gardens No.2 was created for string quartet of two violins and two violas Moss Gardens No.3 was created for solo piano
Herbarium (2023)
Variable Ensemble | Variable Duration
Herbarium is a co-composition by Florijan Lörnitzo (AT) and Henry McPherson (UK). The piece is a musical and visual exploration of household herbs and spices, mixing illustration, graphic, and traditional western music notation. Each page in Herbarium features one herb or spice, selected by us for their aroma, their shape, and their imaginative qualities. By layering different pages of the score, you can create your own blend of sonic, visual (and culinary) material. The piece can be played by any ensemble of musicians, whether in concerts, or at home in the kitchen. Premiered by Between Feathers at Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau (CA), January 2024; and in Europe by Florijan Lörnitzo, Anna Maria Niemiec, Flora Geißelbrecht, Vienna, March 2024
121 Seven Second Nocturnes (2022)
Solo Piano | 15 mins
A set of nocturne fragments and motivic seeds, created in response to an open call for works on the theme of "seven seconds". These miniatures can be used as audio prompts for longer improvised performance. Exhibited as a collection of audio fragments at Fringe Arts Bath 'Seven Seconds' exhibition (cur. Mark Fearbunce), Milsom Place, Bath 2022
Interlunar (2022)
Solo Cello | 5 Minutes
A short work for solo cello, inspired by the period in between the brightness of the moons. It explores diadic harmonic relationships, and the pulling and stretching of melodic lines. The original programme note reads: "Being in the dark: having a quality of weightlessness, of slipping between, of drifting, of stretching sometimes without end, of remaining unseen, unhurried and unfixed, of tracing a line of silver, of unattachment, of high invisible mountains, of calling up songs at night, of slowing thoughts, of being not entirely known, of breaking down, of soaring without a mind, of opening out into nothing. Interlunar is inspired by the period of darkness between the old and new moons. A gesturally driven piece, it plays with dyadic harmonic relations, and extended, suspended melodic phrases." Premiere recording by Brian Bromberg (USA) in March 2023. Released on 'The Gateless Garden' (Shan GORIL la Records, HK/USA) 2024.
Caoineadh (2022)
Solo Cello and String Orchestra | 9 mins 30 seconds
A reflective work for cello and string orchestra, Caoineadh (kwee-neh) takes its title from the Scottish Gaelic and Irish word meaning "weeping", "lamenting", or "wailing". Keening, the practice of funeral lament, is a traditional ritual vocal practice in Ireland, and in parts of Scotland, which sees mourners wail and weep in a release of emotion at the graveside, or at the wake of the deceased. This piece, written at a time of personal upheaval, draws on the premise of the funeral song while exploring the gradual release of emotion in the process of grieving.
String Quartet (2022)
In memoriam Béla Bartók | Album | 19 minutes
This quartet was composed using a technique of layered improvisations in the studio. Throughout, the work explores physical and sonic fragility, each instrument experimenting with moments of tension, breaking, and collapse (in the arms and fingers, as much as in timbre and shape). The first movement – “Crystalline (breaking, shattering, falling)” – is an exploration of texture focused on scratchwork, pressure, and bright, harsh timbres. It is driven by the physicality and sensation of experimental techniques, by the concentrated point of contact between bow and string, the scratch of rosin powder, and the tension of metal and wood. The secondmovement – “Still, Glistening (like an ocean under starlight, or a sheet of glass)” – moves into a hovering soundworld of ghostly harmonics and flautando bowing, gradually opening into a plaintive chant in four parts.
Noise at the death of one beloved (2022)
Album | 30 minutes
Collage album of layered improvisations, recorded 8th February 2022. In memoriam George Crumb (1929 - 2022) "On the 8th February 2022 I recorded sixteen improvisations of between three and fifteen minutes, using the instruments in my home. I then fragmented and layered these improvisations into a collage in five parts. George Crumb's work opened my eyes and ears to otherworldly sounds and shapes; the beauty of his scores and the sensitivity of his writing has stuck with me through years of music making. These contemplative improvisations seem like a fitting tribute to a truly incredible artistic voice." Part IV was featured in BBC Radio 3's Freeness show's New Year episode, 2023.
Apsida (2022)
Clarinet and Guitar | 8 - 10 minutes
“Apsida: an arch or a semi-circle a trace drawn by a planet across the sky a vault perhaps a doorway a meeting of two parts in mutual support to bridge a gap”
How to play Mariana (2021)
Text score for ensemble of musicians, dancers, or actors | 7 - 49 mins
'How to play mariana' is a text score in seven 'movements'. It can be interpreted freely by musicians, dancers, or actors, and evokes deep sea imagery as impetus for improvisation and exploration. For each movement, the ensemble should select a duration in advance (up to 7 minutes). Between each movement, there should be a pause. Each movement should be interpreted freely, but performers might like to consider: different ways of moving (as if in the deep sea), different forms of echo, different ways of showing depth, increasing darkness/pressure/cold (dissipating light/heat), relationships of drifting, isolation of sounds, obscure shapes (barely visible, coming in and out of view), different currents of water. Premiered at the Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble Festival, Eugene (OR, USA), in October 2024.
F*g (2021)
Audiovisual work | 10 minutes
An audiovisual work reflecting on the spatial and sonic disorientation of being in fog (both physically, and metaphorically, as in 'brain fog'). F*g features footage taken at home, during the Covid-19 lockdowns in the UK, along with field recordings from forested and urban environments in Huddersfield and West Yorkshire, and instrumental and vocal recordings. F*g was featured in the MASS (www.the-mass.com)
More Than One Thing (Installation) (2021)
Multi-screen durational films, objects, text | 8 hours
An installation of durational performance films emerging out of my PhD research at the University of Huddersfield. More Than One Thing was installed at hcmf// (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) in 2021 in the Create Lab, Barbara Hepworth Building, and features footage of collaborations with dancers and musicians across Europe, Canada, and the UK exploring kinesonic (sound and movement) improvisation. Instruments used in the improvisations, along with clothing and other objects, were also installed in the space, along with a paper copy of "as over is: a manifesto of transdisciplinary free improvisation".
INTIMACIES (2020)
Album | 40 Minutes
"I listen now whilst writing this, distracted by rapid rhythmic hand claps, electronics— the anti-wisdom platitudes of Henry McPherson’s, ‘Intimacies’, are whispered, rhetorical, ‘how soon will you feel different?’, and ‘to end/where did we begin?’" - Danielle Watson Hughes, review of Radiophrenia 2022 in MAP magazine. INTIMACIES an experimental album of improvisation, auto interview techniques, sonic recollections, field recorded fragments, quarantine confessions and synchronised speaking; filled with wordless anti-wisdom, nonsense dialogues and fantasy folk song. Produced across the months of the first UK Lockdowns, March - September 2020. INTIMACIES was broadcast on Radiophrenia in 2022, and track 10, capella_dream, was featured in a mix of sampler.fm in 2023.
Easter raises the dead (2020)
Electroacoustic work | 9 mins 30 seconds
Recorded for Maria Sappho's album "Rocks I have Taken", 'Easter raises the dead' is an electroacoustic work responding to two rocks, taken from Kerrera, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Maria writes: "Rocks I have Taken is a visual album of stories, sounds, and videos of rocks that I have collected from places I have been or places I am from. Each rock is paired with a story of a land which in one way or another has felt the invasion of human presence. These are stories both ancient and not so distant, which tell different paths of exchanging histories, conquered and stolen lands, lost cultures and languages, but growth and change nonetheless."
The colour of things (2020)
Dictaphone and objects | 60 minutes
An audio piece for dictaphone and objects exploring sensory connections between sight, texture, and sound. The colour of things poses the question "how do you hear the colour of things". For this recording, a dictaphone was used as a tactile instrument to brush and scrape against different surfaces and materials. The colour of each material is spoken before being sounded by the dictaphone.
Cities/Staircases (2020)
Japanese Ink on Cartridge | 20x25cm
A series of 20 graphic panels which were created after a month of the UK lockdown, in April 2020. The panels show fragments of imagined spaces, streets, cities, skylines, staircases - abstractions of the ordinary in daily life, thrown into a disparate collage. Exhibited at the Coantivirus digital Exhibition. NY20+ Gallery (Chengdu, China), 2021. Exhibited at "Apropos of Aesthetics" Virtual Reality Exhibition, 2021.
Seals (2020)
Japanese Ink, Card, Pins, Gesso, Biro
Seals is a set of small folded pieces created for Lizzie Donegan's exhibition by post. Each artist created a piece of work which was sent in the post to the other, who exhibited it in their house for two days and documented the exhibition. The artists then had a debrief conversation reflecting on the experience.
Pavane (2019)
Electroacoustic work | 4 mins 20 seconds
A short electrocaoustic work composed of feedback sounds and bending metal. Pavane explores stretching, pulling, twisting, and slow harmonic movement. Available to stream on all major services.
Three dreams at the end (2019)
Low voice and Guitar | 15 minutes
Three Dreams at the End is a short cycle of three surreal songs for low voice and guitar, with spoken prologue, written for my dear friend Peter Norris. A wounded figure (perhaps a priest, a soldier, a father, a convict, an old man, a warrior) stumbles into an ancient wood. As he waits for the end, three visions rise before him. He greets them as old friends. It is recommended that players both read from the full score. The guitar part is written in staff and tablature notation, and requires some scordatura (more than one guitar may be used in performance if required/desired). Premiered by Peter Norris, Adam Wallace, at Picture Gallery, Royal Holloway (UK), June 2018
Ear-Eye (2019)
Audiovisual work | 10 minutes
An audiovisual piece for smartphone created in response to Yoko Ono's Grapefruit as part of the Edges' Ensemble 2019. Ear-Eye explores sound and video collage, with themes of water, wood, stone, reflection, and shadow, with footage taken from across the North East and South West of England. Ear-Eye was 'installed' via QR code across the University of Huddersfield in November 2019.
Ecosystem I (2019)
Variable Ensemble | Variable Duration
A study in notation and illustration. In Ecosystem I, players explore and improvise from a two-panel scene of flora in the undergrowth, following their own path through "not-quite" notation and fragments of manuscript. First performed by Ensemble Academy of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag at Dag in de Branding Festival, Zuiderstrandtheater, Den Haag, NL, June 2019.
Scores for Movement (2019)
Bodies and/or Objects | Variable Duration
Scores for movement (of bodies, of objects), for variable ensemble of dancers and/or musicians. Produced using a series of drying and wetting processes with Japanese ink on cartridge. This series of panels can be interpreted in live performance, used in rehearsal, or as a study aid for improvisers. If used in performance, the scores can be interpreted individually (as one panel), or in a series. Ideally, the audience should be able to see the panels which are used in the performance.
Parchments (2019)
Ensemble of 1-3 players | Variable Duration
An assemblage of three painted scores (black Japanese ink on 300gsm cream cartridge, 29.7 x 42.0cm), layered in eight different configurations (panels) and backlit by LED. The work draws conceptually on histories of tattooing, of mark-making, vellum inscription and trace, and explores the ideas of layers of memories and wisdom(s) held in the ‘skin’ – of bodies, of instruments, of buildings, of communities. How do we hold the memories of the things that have touched us? What does it mean to touch and sound? The work can be explore by 1 – 3 movers or instrumentalists in an improvisation capacity. All eight panels should be used in performance. Performance should be between 10 and 30 minutes long. Scores can either be printed, and laid in any grid or linear configuration on the floor, or projected one-by-one onto the wall or floor (if this is the case, care should be taken to ensure there isn’t excessive colour distortion).
Sigil (2019)
Solo Cello | 4 - 10 minutes
Sigil is a work which takes the body of the cellist, and the body of the cello, as visual starting points for a tablature-based graphic notation. The four sections of the piece correspond loosely to the four western alchemical elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, and are interpreted by the cellist in free-time. The focus of the work is the interpretation of graphic, calligraphic contours as pitch, physical, gestural, rhythmic, and timbral material. It was conceived for and premiered in the USA by American cellist Adam Hall (WA, MI). Premiered in Europe by Yiyang Zhao, [hybrid performance] Berlin (DE), December 2021
Partita (2019)
Solo Piano | 30 minutes
Partita (2019) is a multi-movement work for solo piano, performed without extended technique. The work draws on a number of traditional musical, poetic, and dance forms, which are interspersed across the piece in addition to movements which are entirely through-composed.
Colagens (2018 - 2019)
Installation, Album, Performance | Tiles, Shower Curtain, Pink Furniture Paint, 8 x MP3 Players | Performance Duration c.45 minutes
Installed at DESPINA, Rio de Janeiro, BR, September 2018, and the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, UK, February 2019 Colagens/Collages is an installation and accompanying audio album of sonic collages, produced as part of the Open Bodies residency (Residência Corpos Abertos) at DESPINA, Rio de Janeiro, BR, during September 2018. The residency, led by DESPINA and the Fruitmarket Gallery, and funded by the British Council, brought Scotland-based artists together with Brazilian artists in Rio, to work in parallel on projects exploring themes of gender and sexuality. The audio samples used in the project were taken from locations of contemporary and historical importance to the Queer/LGBTQ(+) community of Rio de Janeiro's Zona Sul. Locations included: nightlife venues, places of support and shelter, public spaces, places of celebration, and the streets at day and night. Recordings were taken in the neighbourhoods of: Glória, Centro, Copacabana, Ipanema, Lapa, Urca, Botafogo, Catete, Flamengo, Jardim Botânico, Laranjeiras, and Santa Teresa. During the installation at DESPINA, individuals followed a trail of deer-prints through the gallery space, along a walkway of found sounds from the city. At the door to the upstairs bathroom, the boy (o menino) offered them a key, and asked if they would like to listen. During the installation at the Fruitmarket Gallery, audience members moved freely through the gallery throughout the showing, listening to the sound-collages on headphones connected to pink MP3 players mounted on the wall. Henry McPherson then performed using tiles covering a large banner, on which were written pieces of text collected from the residency period in Rio de Janeiro. Henry gradually uncovered the pieces of text, by smashing and rearranging tiles, while the entirety of the album of collages was played through loud-speakers.
Body (2018)
Text score for musician | Variable duration
A text score for musician and solo instrument exploring the corporeal, tactile, somatic interface between instrumental and human bodies. Body was conceived of and first recorded on residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Banff, CA) in August 2018. It was premiered in the UK by Craig Morrison at the Edinburgh College of Art in May 2024.
Smoke (fire), voice, mountain (2018)
Album | Field Recordings, Prepared Piano
Documentation album recorded at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: July - August 2018 on the Creative Gesture: Collective Composition Lab for Music and Dance. Banff, Alberta, CA Prepared Piano - Henry McPherson
Oracle (2018)
Text score for musician | Variable duration
Oracle is a work in four movements, written for Irish bassoonist Ronan Whittern. The piece reflects upon the ancient religious, cultural, and agricultural relationship between the people of the Great Britain and Ireland and the native trees and forests of these countries. The piece is written as a dialogue, to be performed with a tree, and focuses on extended melodies, and subtle changes in tone. "Go outside and collect three sticks. Return home, harming nothing. The following day, return the sticks to where they were found. Return home, harming nothing." The premiere recording was made by Ronan Whittern in June 2018
Studies in Black and White (2018)
Solo Piano or Variable Ensemble | Variable Duration
Studies in Black and White is a series of 24 graphic improvisation-stimulus scores, originally created for pianist Maria Sappho. Each panel has been produced using a combination of white and black acrylic on white or black cartridge paper, painted using three flat thick-bristled brushes, a single curved palette knife, and fingers. The majority of the panels were produced using a single stroke or gesture, with no further alteration. This collection serves as a series of practice-pieces for improvising musicians. For pianists, it represents a set of exercises in piano technique, a teaching aid for exploring the sonification and musical interpretation of visual media, and an exploration of the possibilities of musical and visual synchrony. Each panel has been conceived of, or composed, as a musical entity in its own right, with concepts such as texture, line, tone, colour, velocity, and gesture forming the focus of the creation of the work.
Opening Hands (2018)
Ten. Rec. or Fl., Cl., A. Sax., Tbn., Pno., Perc. x1, Vln., E. Gtr., Db. | c. 9 minutes
Opening Hands is a work for nine musicians (Ten. Rec. or Fl. | Cl. | A. Sax. | Tbn. | Pno. | Perc. x1 | Vln. | E. Gtr. | Db.), featuring prominent parts for the violin and percussion. The piece is an experiment in stretching, pulling, and contracting across melodic lines, and between wide and close harmonic intervals. It opens with an amplified solo for snare drum, using the percussionist's palm, nails, and knuckles, before the violin enters to draws out melodic material from the remainder of the ensemble. It was premiered by Ed Bennet's DECIBEL Ensemble in May 2018. Two versions of the piece exist, including either Tenor Recorder or Flute.
Wintersun (2018)
Solo Piano | 4 - 15 minutes
Wintersun is a short, minimalist piece for solo piano, based around rising major scales and fluid play with tempo between the hands. It was premiered on residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff (CA) in August 2018.
Crocus (2018)
Solo Guzheng | 5 Minutes
A work for solo Guzheng written using a bespoke tablature developed with Guzheng player Zilan Liao (廖子岚). Conceived as part of Psappha Ensemble's 'Composing for...' scheme. Crocus is a contemplative piece which explores the delicate resonances of the Guzheng through a custom microtonal tuning. The hand-made score features a painted crocus inset within the binding.
Studies on a Straight Line (2018)
Solo String Instrument | Variable Duration
A set of graphic miniatures for interpretation on a string instrument. Conceived with American cellist Adam Hall (WA/MI). Premiere performance in the UK by Craig Morrison, Edinburgh College of Art, May 2024.
A thought of falling (2017)
Cl., Vib., Vln., Vc. | c. 14 minutes
In 2016, my mother moved house northwards, leaving behind the landscape of my childhood, and returning to that of her own. Although I once visited Northumberland, as a child, at that time I had no understanding of the profound natural beauty with which the county is blessed. Great hills to the north, at the border with Scotland, give way to foothills of dense deciduous forest, quiet and old. A largely agricultural centre pushes southwards to urban edge of the City of Newcastle, while to the east, a grey coastline is carved out, ruthlessly hewn by the cold and foreboding North Sea. - The foot of the sea-cliff under Dunstanburgh Castle – the building itself decaying majestically – is a place of dark beauty. Columns of ash-coloured rock, peppered with green moss and the white of birds, cascade from the ruin to the blue-grey water beneath. Even against the vastness of the sky, the cliffs stand firm – a sheer wall of rock braced against the sea. At dawn through the mist, the cliffs emerge slowly, as if the sun were gradually drawing them upwards, rock by rock.
Autumn Thoughts (2017)
Low Whistle or Tenor Recorder | 10 Minutes
A contemplative work for low whistle in D or tenor recorder, exploring the colours of autumn. The piece was written while thinking about the bracken coated hillsides of the Malvern Hills, where I spent much of my childhood, and which take on characteristics of a miniature forest as the ferns curl and twist around each other, creating dense packets of undergrowth.
snow-constellation (2017)
Guitar Duo | 5 minutes
snow-constellation is a short work for guitar duo, featuring scordatura, and written in free time. The performers share a single melodic and harmonic line, descending slowly over the course of five minutes. It was premiered by Samrat Majumder and Maso Girotto in 2018, and received a second performance by Orestis Tsekouras & Haris Kanellidis in 2022 (Presented at the 21st Century Guitar Conference, Ball State University (Muncie, IN)).
Meditations (2016)
Chamber Quintet or Septet | 15 minutes
Premiered in May 2017 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's PLUG festival of contemporary music by the Glasgow New Music Expedition. "Meditative practice is not something which comes particularly easily or naturally to me. Though I have been a practicing Buddhist since my early teens, I have struggled to apply a consistent practice of meditation, which I hold to be of incredible personal and spiritual importance, to my daily life. Recently I have felt particularly surrounded by distraction. This piece is an attempt to find some space for introspection and understanding." Henry McPherson, 2017 -- Jessica Cottis - Conductor Ben Norris - Violin Liam Brolly - Viola Alice Allen - Cello Stephanie Jones - French Horn Tom Poulson - Trumpet Sinae Lee - Piano Glynn Forrest - Percussion I would like to thank the Glasgow New Music Expedition for their permission in utilising this recording. Recorded at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland by Bob Whitney.
Death the Mother (2016)
From Mannequin (2016) | Clarinet and Piano
This short piece is taken from the last movement of “Mannequin”, a set of three portraits inspired by the work of Alexander McQueen. This movement of the work drew inspiration from an ensemble of McQueen’s featured in the “Savage Beauty” collection - "the Horn of Plenty" - featuring a headpiece, corset, and skirt made of hundreds of dark black feathers. Mannequin was commissioned by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for PLUG 10, and was premiered by Ensemble Modern.
Ūhte (2015)
Tenor, Mezzo, Baritone, SATB Chorus + Symphony Orchestra | c.13 minutes
"Ūhte – (Old Saxon) – lit. “the hour before dawn" Written when McPherson was just 19, Ūhte is an original Opera-Film collaboration between the Alexander Gibson Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, BBC Scotland, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with Martyn Brabbins. The libretto and music are by Henry McPherson, with screenplay and film-story by Ray Tallan. The principal roles were played by David Horton, Elliott Mockett, and Kenneth Reid. Commissioned as part of the conservatoire's PLUG at 10 festival, the work received positive critical acclaim, and was heralded as a landmark student collaboration between the institution's Opera and Film departments. In 2017, the film was nominated for the inaugural Scottish Awards for New Music, in the category of "Best Recorded New Work" The libretto for the work is a text-collage of imagery and fragments from Shakespeare's Tempest and W.B. Yeats' 'The Stolen Child', interspersed with nonsensical passages. Instrumentation: Picc./Fl. | Ob. | Cl./B.Cl. | Bsn. | Hn. | Tpt. | Tbn. | Tba. Perc. x2/3: Rain St., Ratch., B.D., S.D., T-t., Glock., Xyl., Mar., Cymb., Temp. Bl., Wind ch., Vibras., Flex.) soloists: Ten., Bari., Mezzo. Chorus: c. 30 SATB Str: 6.6.4.4.2 Premiere: PLUG, Glasgow, Scotland, May 2016: BBC Scottish Symphony Orch., Martyn Brabbins, BBC Scotland Please note, this film contains content which some may find distressing.
Book of Trees (2015)
Solo Piano | 10 - 15 minutes
Book of Trees is a set of illustrated miniatures for piano, based on the trees of Herefordshire, England, where I grew up. Conceived for piano learners, it is a work in which the movements can be played in any order, with the prelude (doubling as an interlude) repeated ad libitum throughout. It has been performed by a number of pianists, including Gregor Forbes, Christopher Gill, Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser, and Henry McPherson, who premiered the work in March 2016.
Kindred (2014)
Violin and Viola | 10 Minutes
Kindred is a set of dance variations for string duo. Its melodic and harmonic language centres on the lydian dominant scale, and the harmonic series. The piece was the winner of the Dinah Wolfe Memorial prize for composition, 2014. It was premiered by Garth Knox and Mieko Kanno in 2014.
