Paul Lewis

Whatlington Waltzes

It was at Mrs.Yarrington's Music Club in the village hall at Whatlington, East Sussex, that I first heard Stranger Strings: Charlie Draper on theremin and Holly Lowe on harp. I have always adored the harp and have long had a hankering for the theremin, so this mesmerising combination immediately set my compositional juices bubbling and the three Whatlington Waltzes are the result.
Since theremins are rare and exotic creatures and sightings of them few and far between, I have confined the solo part within the range of the flute (and consequently the violin) to increase the music's chances of performance.

Wistful Waltz A chance encounter some twenty years ago with a young street performer on Brighton seafront led to a brief but touching friendship. Anna Neil, tall, slim and beautiful, stood motionless on a slowly revolving pedestal with a large golden key turning in the small of her back, convincing watching children that she was a life-size doll. I wrote this melody as a harp piece for her to revolve to but she had moved on to bestow her fairy dust elsewhere before I could play it to her. The combination of theremin and harp ideally conjures up the gentle other-worldliness of Anna's persona.
Woeful Waltz A slow, mournful waltz, perhaps my hommage to film composer Bernard Herrmann in his less tempestuous moments.
Wilful Waltz Marked Brisk and belligerent, this is a waltz that, once in motion, doesn't want to stop! Paul Lewis
Duration 6½ minutes

Footnote The theremin was invented in Russia by Lev Theremin and first demonstrated publicly in 1920. It is in effect a radio receiver with protruding antenna and metal loop employing high frequency circuits and oscillating valves to enable the instrument to be played, without contact, by means of hand movements that resemble a surreal digital ballet. The unearthly, almost human voice-like quality of its sound made the instrument a sine qua non for science fiction film composers in the 1950s.