The ''Highgrove Suite'' is a contemporary classical harp

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

Patrick Hawes Patrick Hawes (born 5 December 1958) is a British composer, conductor, organist and pianist. Biography Born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, the son of publican parents, Hawes grew up along the Lincolnshire coast and was educated at De Asto ...

. The piece was commissioned by

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

, in 2010 to celebrate the gardens of his home at

Highgrove House Highgrove House is the family residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It lies southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England. Built in the late 18th century, Highgrove and its estate were owned by various families until it was pu ...

in Gloucestershire, and was first performed in its entirety by the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

and harpist Claire Jones in the presence of TRHs The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in the Orchard Room at

in 2010. In its original form, it was a single-movement piece entitled ''Goddess of the Woods'', which received its première at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

on the Prince's 60th birthday in 2008 by Jones in her role as

Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales The Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales, or King's Harpist, is a position within the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. History The harp is an important national instrument in Wales. The role of Official Harpist had fallen out of use since ...

. Three additional movements - ''The Wildflower Meadow'', ''Sanctuary'' and ''The Gladiator'' - were created to form the Suite. A television documentary about the work and the background to it, including an interview with the Prince of Wales by

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster and writer. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Early career Alan Fred T ...

, was broadcast in 2010, and a recording of the work was released at around the same time, with profits going to the Prince's Charities Foundation.Presto Classical - Patrick Hawes: The Highgrove Suite
.Accessed 19 April 2014 The recording also features Sir

Hubert Parry Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 1848 – 7 October 1918), was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is ...

's ''Lady Radnor Suite'' and works for harp by John Parry and

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography William Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and b ...

References

{{Italic title Compositions by Patrick Hawes Harp concertos 2008 compositions 2010 compositions Commissioned music Charles III Suites (music)