“Orlando Gibbons was a genius. We can probably all agree that this term is massively anachro- nistic. However, justified, I think, in order to establish his music on the same elevated niveau as

Purcell or Beethoven or Schubert. While it is difficult to make such analogies when his music is

still relatively rarely performed by comparison with these more illustrious names, but Gibbons’ fe- cundity of imagination, his masterly handling of his material, his emotional depth and maturity, the

exquisite turns of phrase, his harmonic assurance, his contrapuntal ease and mastery - all this puts him in the first rank of composers” - Richard Boothby.

“My Days is a ritualised memory piece about Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) written for two en- sembles whose recordings informed so much of my musical development. I feel like I spend half of

my life trying to trick string players to play like Fretwork...so it was with enormous pleasure that I composed this piece.” - Nico Muhly