English Vignettes - an album by David J Lambert (London, UK, March 2026)

The album is a collection of instrumental music, mostly formed around classical and acoustic guitars, with some orchestral components.

The aim was to create a set of images, generally inspired by English countryside.

1. Melange. This track was an exploration for a future 3-movement guitar concerto. As such, there is much experimenting with sounds, in particular the combination of the orchstral instruments with the fairly light and percussive sound of the nylon-string guitar, which is sometimes deliberately set into the background. The author was particularly pleased with the sound with the clarinet and cor anglais! An 'English' guitar concerto, rather than a Spanish sounding one was the aim for this (Salisbury Cathedral rather than the Alhambra!)

2. Coniston In Autumn. A trip to Coniston in chilly Ocotober, with a bit of kayaking on the lake, gave a nice senes of isolation. One can't get away from memories of Sir Donald Campbell's tragic accident on the lake, which gives a somewhat reflective feeling.

3. Prelude. Entirely orcehstra and choral piece. The aim was to be quite pastoral in feel - and am quite pleased with the medlodies in that respect. Biggest influence is Ralph Vaughan Williams, maybe most apparent in the "string-quartet" section, which owes a lot to RVW's Fantasia - which I find the most spiritual piece of music I've ever heard.

4. Curley Heath. A piece close to home, inspired by the extensive heathland nearby. Love going for a walk in the rain, among the heather, and the areas of woodland - the rain keeps most people indoors, so there is a great sens of peach. For guitar and bass.

5. Eleven PM. Yes, written in the late evening, having trouble getting to sleep. Maybe akin to counting sheep! A light sllepy piece fo violin and guitar.

6. English Arcadia. This instrumental piece came before it was adapted to be performed with vocals for The Questants project. I think Billy Connelley once said that when he visited the hills in Scotland, it made him all gooey and sentimental. I guess that is the way I think about England sometimes.

7. Horenr Water. One of my favourite places, with moorland streams falling into the wooded valleys, in the sahdow of Dunkery Beacon, and continuing to the coast. At the time of writing, restriciton on the footpaths (to stop people being careless and getting hit by theoretical falling trees and branches) can make walking int the area a bit frustrating. Beautiful area though.

8.Peace Time. Turn the tele off, lights down low,no talking and just play! In these time of 3-second attention spans, it is often difficult to relax oneself. My fail-safe method is to pick up a guitar and just play, without judegment. Sometimes this results in music that actually works for listening too,

9. Two Fools. The wise man knows himself to be a fool.... Two fools, both me, in this case. This piece was created to accompany videos of kayaking taken from the bow on the Basingstoke Canal. Gentle kayaking on quiet waters of canals, rivers and lakes (especially Derwentwater!) is a pleasure discovered fairly recently. This is an extended structured jam on prepared harmony, and definitely inspired by the duets of John Renbourn with Bert Jansch and Stephen Grossmann. Jansch's Avocet album is also a great influence.