Dawn’s Dove for solo recorder was composed in 1994. It was first performed by John Turner who commissioned it at a concert in honour of the sixtieth birthday of the composer Anthony Gilbert to whom the piece is dedicated.It is not a literal birdsong but I hope it captures the spirit of jubilant dawn chorus - as well as the softer sounds of a dove which does not get up as early as other birds! I wrote it while I was writing my opera 'The Wildman' and the epilogue of that opera is introduced by a piccolo solo which is very like Dawn's Dove - they share material. In the opera it signifies early morning.Part way through Dawn’s Dove the tempo becomes steadier and Iquote from a beautiful work of Anthony Gilbert his 'Towards Asavari’ for piano and ensemble. At the end of that work there is a trumpet solo which outlines the Indian raga on which the piece is based. My quote alludes to that.The unfolding melodic line of Dawn’s Dove is sometimes inflected by microtones; the piece lasts between two and three minutes.

Full Score-The inspiration for the Sixth Symphony comes from the composer's twelve years studying in the U.S. It is his very first expressive output that is completely autobiographical. The composer described it as a memorial of my years between middle school and college in which I witnessed my own drastic characther development severe social problems lacerated friendships frantic family relationships and the overall confusion toward my own ethics. Most importantly it is a realistic portrayal of the many Chinese students studying in the West spiritually torn between the two cultures. The work is constructed as a single union without movements or breaks and lasts between 40 and45 minutes. Instrumentation: 2+1.3.3.3: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(4).Pno.Hp: Str(16.14.12.10.8 min)